The Past Defines Who We Are
by H4mmond
Summary: Ichika was the only male pilot, as far as he was aware. But when another one shows up the same time he does, questions are raised. Gio is a male pilot from Hammond, who is harboring a questionable past and trying to forget and move on from it. However, the past isn't something to be forgotten. It will always return when one least expects it. OC pairing, Ichika x Charlotte(Rewrite)
1. Episode 1-Introduction

**Okay, so I wanna introduce, or reintroduce, this back to y'all. It's a rewrite, but i have a spin-off of this story coming out, so I'm rewriting the chapters up to the point where the spin-off is, then releasing the first chapter of the spin-off. The rewritten chapters will have an (RW) next to them. So enjoy.**

 _Humanity, it has created great things. From fire to computers, and farming to medicine, humans have pushed the limits of science. This came to a head when a certain inventor created the Infinite Stratos, or IS. The world was surprised when they found out that only women could operate them_. _After a certain event involving everyone's nuclear missiles and a White Knight, all countries were forced to acknowledge that the IS was only to be used for sporting purposes. This lead to the Alaska Treaty, banning IS from war purposes. But little known to the countries, a sovereignty was working towards its own goals, and this sovereign nation wasn't going to sign some stupid treaty._

 _This sovereign nation would be the Hammond Republic, a country governed as a fascist state. It was peaceful, and was doing very well. It led the world in IS, going as far to make different cores and much stronger, faster, and better IS than anyone else. Unbeknownst to the IS Inventor, Hammond successfully integrated it's anti-IS weapon, a hulking metal beast known as a Titan, with IS cores, creating a IS/Titan Hybrid. With this, one exceptionally trained pilot, with a slightly 'controversial' background, has been nominated to go to the IS Academy in Japan. Of course, HE has a certain...thing..._

Gio arrived at the academy, bags in hand. The pilot in question, was a six foot one inch tall caucasian, with brown hair and turquoise eyes. On his left hand was a grey glove, which was his IS in it's closed form. His right hand was tapping his right leg, and Gio constantly was checking his watch. He probably shouldn't have been early, but better early than sorry.

The instructor did eventually arrive, and looked him up and down. The instructor was the ever stoic "Brunhilde": Chifuyu Orimura. While she was silently judging, Gio was silently...freaking out.

"I didn't know this school was taught by champions." Gio started, trying to break the ice. While he had tried to sound cool, it came out in a stutter. Chifuyu looked at our pilot, still ever stoic, but there was a slight amusement in her eyes.

"Come on, I'll show you to your room." She said, and started walking away. Gio picked up his bags, and followed the Brunhilde.

 **Dorms**

Gio put his stuff down, looking around the room. There was two beds, Gio elected to take the one closest to the sliding door to the balcony, a bathroom in the front by the door, on the left side if you were entering. It came with a shower and toilet, which Gio thought was great. His room also had a small kitchen, just a microwave and a tea kettle to go in it. Good thing he brought coffee packs. He had a queen size bed and a desk, which he was at, with a computer on it. He had a tv, about 22-inch, and some wooden drawers. There was a reading chair and ottoman near his bed. The room had a plaster ceiling and very nice wood walls. The room was illuminated by a center lamp in the ceiling. Gio found it cozy. Chifuyu had given him his key and walked away, leaving our pilot by his front door outside. Thankfully, he found a map of the campus inside the room, so he didn't need to worry about being lost. He started putting stuff away into the drawers, and putting his stuff in a backpack for tomorrow's class. His schedule was already pinned on a board he brought from home, with other things on it as well. Gio then went to a suitcase that was locked tight. He pressed his hand against the left side of the suitcase, it scanned the palm then immediately flashed green. The locks on the suitcase unlocked themselves, and Gio opened the suitcase. Inside of the case was a grey laptop, a tablet, and another small case. Gio put the laptop and the tablet on the desk, and reached for the case. He pushed his thumb down on the case and the case gave a small _chirp_ and opened.

Inside the case, lying a protective foam, were two contact lenses. While contact lenses help people with glasses see without needing to put on glasses, these contact lenses were the state of the art model Tactical Cross Communication system, or TCC for short. The system was designed to do many things, access the Internet, identify strangers, even hack weak to mediumly secure devices, but mainly it was the system Hammond pilots used to modify their mechs. What made it special was that Hammond IS pilots could modify their IS while said IS was in its closed form, or even change what the closed form of the IS was. Gio carefully picked up the two small devices, and put one in each eye. Thankfully, his eye color would stay the same. Gio quickly finished putting away his stuff, then turned on his TCC, and reserving an arena to train in. When the screen showed that no arenas were available, Gio grabbed his IS glove, and went out to find the busiest arena at the moment.

 **Arena Six, at the same time…**

Two IS pilots, both third year students, were in Arena Six at the moment, they were training in the art of IS duo teams. One IS, a regular Uchigane, and the partner, piloting a Revive model. The two were sparring when they saw another group enter, which was another group of third years, making four third years in one arena. The other pair were operating two Revives as well. The two pairs stayed away from each other, practicing on their own. Just when the two groups were about to challenge each other, an unknown IS landed in the arena. The group turned, looking to see who was interrupting their arena time. The smoke cleared, and the four third years gasped aloud.

The IS was a hulking eighteen feet tall, painted grey with some red outline stripes on the arms. The IS had retractable wings, with what seemed to be SR-71 jets on them. The IS itself seemed to be a Legion model Titan, with the pilot canopy cut out for the IS Pilot. The left arm had a cannon attached to, but still had the left hand available to use. The right arm was heavily armed, for a certain reason, and a Predator minigun was attached on the small of the IS's back. The pilot wore a chestplate that was connected to the rest of the suit, effectively being the pilot canopy. The IS pilot had a headset that could display a screen for the pilot to read off of for the IS schematics. On the right shoulder was a Trebuchet Railgun. The chestplate was emblazoned with the Hammond Republic symbol, an eagle holding a power button with an 'H' inside of it.

The four third years readied their weapons, one stepped forward, the Uchigane pilot. "Who are you?! Can't you see the arena's in use?" She shouted at the pilot.

The IS pilot looked up, revealing to be none other than Gio himself. "I was watching y'all train, but I got bored, so now I was wondering if you would fight me."

The four looked at each other, wondering who would be suicidal enough to challenge four third years alone, but they shrugged. The Revives brought an assortment of guns, the Uchigane readied her sword. Gio, cracked his neck, and put out his right hand, the more armored one. The hand suddenly summoned a ball of thermite, and the extra armor suddenly made sense. The Uchigane pilot counted down from five, and…

"BEGIN!"

 **The next day...**

His alarm promptly went off at 5:30 am, and Gio almost threw it at the wall. It was still set for Hammond military wake up time. Gio would fix it later, as he was still tired from the fight from yesterday.

Though, he did go pretty hard on them. Gio shrugged, wasn't his fault mass produced models weren't up to par with him.

He quickly changed into running clothes and went to run. He ran/jogged about until 5:45, then returned to his room. He still hadn't gotten a roommate yet, o he assumed she was arriving today. He showered and changed into the uniform. He grabbed his backpack and walked to class. As he walked there, he saw the new students crowding around one car. The girls were looking inside, watching the car's passenger. Gio guessed either it was a famous and upcoming IS pilot, or the Orimura guy he had heard a lot about. He walked into the building, looking for his class. He found it and promptly sat down in his chosen seat. It was next to where Ichika would sit, but he didn't know that yet.

 _Fast forward to where Episode 1 begins, not the fight scene, the class scene._

Gio watched, amused, as Ichika sat uncomfortably in his seat. The poor guy probably wasn't used to this much attention, and being one of the only guys to pilot an IS AND be in an all girls school didn't do much to help him. Gio failed to notice that the girls had noticed him as well, but he was too busy musing to himself about Ichika's predicament to worry about his own. Soon, the teacher was calling Gio's name.

"Gio? Is he here?" The teacher asked. Gio turned his attention to the teach, who was a green haired woman. "Here." He responded. The teacher nodded, and called Ichika next, as she already called all the girls. Ichika didn't respond, so she called again. No response, so she got closer and called one more time. That got him.

"Oh! Uhh, here!" Ichika responded, surprised. The teacher apologized, saying that she called everyone else and that he wasn't responding. The girls chuckled at this. Gio smiled, thinking it was going to be an easy time in this class, until Chifuyu arrived.

"Sorry I'm late, stupid meeting lasted forever." She started until the whole class erupted into screeching.

"OH MY GOD!"

"IT'S HER!"

[insert screaming here].

Gio thought he would go deaf until Chifuyu quieted them all down. Chifuyu introduced herself, for some reason, and laid down some rules and expectations. Gio was used to this kind of stuff, he had been doing stricter stuff back home. This felt like a vacation, until the girls started screaming again when they put two and two together and figured out that Ichika and Chifuyu were brother and sister. Gio slammed his head on the desk, it was going to be a long day.

Scratch that, it was going to be a long year.

After a quick lesson, and learning that Ichika didn't have a clue about IS, or at least not extensive knowledge just basic, the class got their break. Gio watched as Ichika left with some girl out of the class, his TCC identifying the girl as Houki Shinonono.

The crazy inventor lady had a sister, interesting. Gio would look into that later.

Gio started fiddling with his TCC, looking around at the class. There were a lot of devices that Gio could potentially hack, but thought better of it. As he was looking around, he failed to notice a certain blonde walk up to his desk. He turned to look back forward, only to realize someone was in front of him. The girl in question was, of course, blonde, shorter than Gio, but had a rather large-

"So, are you going to ask who I am or what?"

Attitude, she had a rather large attitude. Gio stood up, respectively held his hand out, "Hello, my name is Gio Inferno. May I ask who I have the pleasure of speaking to today?"

The girl nodded, and shook his hand, "The name is Cecilia Alcott, representative contender of the United Kingdom."

"Ah, it's good to meet you. I always wanted to meet a fellow representative contender,"

"Well, it is good-EHH?!" Cecilia was shocked, what did he mean by that? Was he-?

"Before you ask, yes, I too am a representative contender. I am the RC for the Hammond Republic." Gio answered, saving Cecilia the time of asking him.

Cecilia quickly regained her composure, clearing her throat. "Well, it seems you are well mannered. You must have grown up in a prestigious family, I assume?"

Gio looked away, trying not look like he was hiding something. "Well, when they told me I would be attending this school, I begged for them to give me some etique classes, glad to see they paid off."

Cecilia nodded, "So, how did they decide to send you? I imagine you had to complete some kind of test?"

"I had to fight four IS mechs, standard Hammond model. I beat all four of them and here I am."

"Amazing, I seemed to have found my better. The only problem is that you are a male."

Now it was Gio's turn to be confused. "Huh?"

The warning bell rang, causing Cecilia to give a sigh, "We will resume this conversation later." and returned to her seat.

Soon after, Ichika and Houki walked back in, and class resumed.

 **After class**

Gio was just getting out of his seat, ready to go back to his dorm, when Cecilia returned.

"Good, you're still here. Now we can finish our conversation."

 _Kill me,_ Gio thought in his head.

"I want you to know that this class will be led by me and me alone. You may be a better pilot, but you are inferior."

Gio tilted his head slightly, "How so?"

"Because you are a male."

"So because I am a male, I am automatically inferior?"

"Yes. I'm glad you can understand, though it is quite simple."

Gio sighed, and walked away. He had enough of the blonde. He ignored her calls for him to return, and walked straight back to his dorm.

 **Dorm**

Gio opened the door to his room, and found the room still empty of a roommate. He quickly went to his desk, and opened his laptop. His email notified him upon opening the device. Gio opened one email, which was a long report about Hammond's current events. Most of it dealing with the expeditionary force in the Middle East. Gio repressed a shudder, as his door was opening.

"Hello? I'm Ichika, your new roommate, anyone home?" The person shouted, apparently Gio got lucky and wasn't going to have to room with a girl.

Wait, would he be lucky or unlucky if that happened?  
"Ichika, as in the other male IS pilot?" Gio asked back.

Ichika walked into the room, all his stuff still with him, "Uhh, yeah that's me. Unless you know another Ichika Orimura?"

"Yeah, I don't think I do...but welcome to the room. You get the bed closest to the door."

Ichika nodded, and started to put his stuff away. Gio went back to his laptop, working on a report about absolutely nothing in particular, when Ichika closed the bathroom door, and Gio heard the shower turn on. Gio, looking around to make sure no one was watching, input a code into his keyboard, and opened a secure network to his superiors back in Hammond. He quickly typed up a report about Ichika, and sent it on its way. He quickly closed the laptop, and got ready for bed.

Unbeknownst to Ichika, Chifuyu, and the entire ISA, was that Gio was not sent to the ISA for learning purposes, Gio could pilot an IS just fine, better than anyone at the Academy both student and faculty wise. The real reason he was here was to see if Ichika Orimura was able to pilot an IS the same way male IS pilots in Hammond could. See, in Hammond, the eggheads had cracked the code on how to get men to pilot an IS, which required a certain gene-seed to be implanted into the pilot at conception. But a vial of the stuff was stolen, and now suddenly a male pilot appears outside of Hammond. So here Gio was, and while he really was the RC for Hammond, the rest of the story besides age and name was fake.

So the pilot was running through his head possible reasons on what happened, until he fell asleep, dreaming about when crushed those four third years.

 **Class 1-1, the next day**

The next day, Gio was listening to the teacher drone on about something important that he probably should've been listening to when she caught him off guard.

"Class, we will be picking our representative today! How it works is that a student can nominate another student to be in the position, but if you are nominated there is no backing out from it and no amount of reasoning will change that." The teacher, Maya, said.

The class immediately selected Ichika, a number also choosing Gio. This seemed to inconvenience Gio, he hadn't led anything since, well...probably before he got into the Academy. Of course, no one bothered to notice Gio's problem, but Cecilia decided she would make everyone notice her's.

"Unacceptable, I, Cecilia Alcott, cannot allow this male to have power over me! Nor do I accept the nomination that an inferior male Hammond pilot should be able to do the same!" She shouted angrily. The inferior comment should've not been said, Gio was still ticked off about it from yesterday. And what did she have against Hammond? While Gio didn't exactly hate the Alcott company, the Alcott corporation had made it known that Hammond should be sanctioned until they signed the Alaska Treaty…

Oh wait, now it made sense to him.

Anyways, now this Cecilia chick was getting on his nerves. Ichika stood up and said that he wasn't doing it on purpose, but Cecilia wasn't having it. She challenged him to a duel over the position. Ichika accepted, and Gio decided to try get her to shut up about him as well.

"Well then, if he's in, then I'll throw my hat in the ring as well." Gio said rather darkly.

Cecilia turned to him, "So, does the inferior Hammond pilot want a Handicap?

"Why, yes, I would. In fact, I'll let you call an American pilot to come help you after I start wiping the floor with you." Gio replied. Cecilia stepped back, speechless.

Chifuyu smiled slightly, "Very well then. Gio, Cecilia, Ichika, you three will fight for the position of class rep in an IS battle. Gio will face Cecilia tomorrow, as Ichika doesn't have his IS yet, and the winner will face Ichika in four days after the first battle. Understood?"

The three of them nodded, but only Ichika sat down. Gio and Cecilia still were standing, staring at each other to see who would do what first. They kept staring, the whole class held its breath. A tumbleweed blew through the classroom, and they kept staring. One girl passed out from holding her breath so long.

Finally, Cecilia gave a _Hmph_ and sat down. Gio nodded, and sat down as well. The class sighed in relief.

"Now that these two are done, can we continue with the lesson?" Chifuyu asked sarcastically.

"Depends on today's lesson." Gio answered.

"It's on the Middle Eastern War."

Gio's eyes went wide, and the whole class erupted into a debate/fistfight in about a millisecond.

You see, the Middle Eastern War was started over someone saying [insert Middle Eastern country] stole an IS from Israel, and the [insert Middle Eastern Country] saying they didn't and they just happened to figure out how to build ISs like everyone else did. But that wasn't even the controversial part. That would go to the fact that Israel paid the HAMMOND REPUBLIC 12 BILLION DOLLARS to go into the Middle East, and recover the IS, and if a war was started they offered to pay for the cost of said war.

But wait it gets better.

Hammond took the offer, intentionally started a war in the Middle East, and dragged out the war for over 10 YEARS just to screw over everyone involved. And when they returned the IS to Israel, they showed up in their IS/Titan hybrid suits, shocking the world. But it also gave the talking heads a theory to throw around. That theory is what started the whole debate.

The theory was that **Hammond** had stolen the IS themselves, spread a rumor that ONE of the Middle Eastern countries had it, then got Israel to offer the money to them and get a free war out of it. Not only that, opponents against the war believed that Hammond did all this just to show off their new Titan mechs, which were first showcased in the war, and to buy time for the country to jump start their IS/Titan Hybrid project with the stolen IS. But again, it was a theory. And it didn't do much to change the result.

So Israel was given a run for their money (literally) and the Middle East was almost pulverized, but Hammond relented after Russia, China, and the US threatened to go to war with Hammond.

So yeah, the debate was mainly it was a justified, or it was a big hoax.

But back to the story.

Gio sat in his seat, letting chaos unfold in the classroom, and hoped it would be over soon.

But this, my friends, is the ISA. Since when did Normal exist?

 **(A/N) So, since I was reading my spinoff for this story, I decided to rewrite TPDWWA to make the spinoff clearer to anyone who reads it or this. And those who have read this before might have noticed that the chapters after this have been removed.**

 **It's easier for me to write this and for the story to make sense if I just removed them.**

 **Any questions, feel free to PM them to me and I can answer them.**

 **Review and favorite, peace.**


	2. Episode 2-En Garde

***says the rewritten chapters are the ones with RW***

 ***Deletes all the chapters***

 **Pulled a sneaky one on ya.**

 _Data File 0998: Trebuchet Railgun_

 _The RGDS-92 Mk 4.1, also known as the Trebuchet Railgun, was created as an upgraded model of the standard Plasma Railgun weapon Hammond Titans used, and is a shoulder-mounted weapon for IS/Titan Hybrids. The Trebuchet is a dark green painted, plasma/energy based projectile firing weapon, with a one bullet clip and 23 second charge time till fully powered, but can be charged longer for extra power at the cost of a longer reload and cooldown time. However, like its predecessor, it can fire during the charging time for a lesser amount of danger. The Trebuchet is too powerful to be a handheld weapon, so it was resorted to a shoulder mounted weapon. The railgun fires a plasma/energy projectile, but when in a bad spot it can launch a 97mm explosive tungsten round at or around mach 1.6, if at full charge. The weapon requires a mandatory 3 second reload after firing to load a new round and for the barrel to close, cool, then reopen. This railgun is expensive to make, but easy to maintain, so many are still in service. While there are reports, it has been extensively denied by the Hammond nation that a double-barrelled version exists…_

 **The Dorms (The Night Before the Fight)**

Gio was lying in his bed, probably somewhere between sleeping and being awake. While he was prone to having some long nights, this night was one of the worst types. He was awake because his mind was giving him trouble. Not like a headache, more like a mental migraine.

Gio kept having nightmares. His mind wasn't making up stuff that would scare him. It replayed what Gio had already seen. Over and over and over, almost breaking him whenever these nights happened.

And when morning came, Ichika had swore he heard someone crying.

 **Hangar 5A, couple of minutes before the fight**

Gio stood in the hangar, wearing a light grey IS pilot suit. On his left hand was his IS in closed form, his right hand twirling a small knife. He spun the knife around, threw it up into the air, and caught it. Gio then paused, quickly turning around and throwing the knife...

...right at Chifuyu Orimura. Who caught the knife easily. She inspected it, noticing it was a standard issue hunting knife. She walked over the Gio, with Ichika and Houki in tow. "So, you throw knives at people often?" She asked jokingly.

"More often than a kid probably should." Gio muttered, but shrugged anyway. The teacher, Maya Yamada, held a tablet, ready to scan Gio's IS the minute he revealed it. While mainstream news media outlets were able to put camera crews and reporters in Hammond during their military parades, and had seen Hammond IS models, the full extent of them were unknown. At least, until today, hopefully.

Which probably explained why Miss Yamada was staring at Gio so aggressively, she was going to be the first non-Hammond analyzer to get specs on a Hammond IS/Titan hybrid. In the world of IS, that was pretty much equal to being the first person on the moon.

"So, you want your knife back?" Chifuyu asked, holding it by the blade.

"Nah, keep it. I got nowhere to put it right now." Gio answered, and turned back to the hangar opening. He raised his left hand, which was in a fist, and was engulfed in flames. When the flames disappeared, his IS had taken the place where Gio was standing.

Maya quickly raised her tablet, and quickly scanned the IS. What she got back was astounding.

 _IS Core: H-009 (Hammond Core)_

 _Designation: Firestorm (Shift 1 of 1, Form 1 of 4)_

 _Weapons: Predator Cannon, wrist mounted 40mm Cannon, Trebuchet Railgun, Thermite Thrower, Fire Shield, Flaming Broadsword_

 _Defense stats: 5,000 points(Rechargeable shield), 22,000 points(Regular shield)_

Maya froze, reading and rereading what her device. While she tried to stop reading the tablet, Gio's IS floated up a little bit, and when they heard the jets start powering up, the group ran to their viewing area. Gio, meanwhile, waited for the greenlight to go. And when he got it, shot out of the hangar and into the arena field. When he appeared, Gio got a good look at his opponent.

Cecilia was, of course, not fretting at all about this duel. While the defense aspects of an IS/Titan Hybrid were unknown, the weapons they used were similar to that of the Titans of Hammond. She scanned Gio's IS, and was shocked to see that no data was able to be displayed.

"So...how are you?" Gio asked, not holding any weapons at the ready.

"I'm fine, thank you for asking." Cecilia responded, keeping her shock hidden. "Nice to see you keep your manners on the battlefield, you must really trying to impress me."

"Yeah, let's go with that."

Cecilia hefted her sniper rifle out, pointing it at Gio. Gio took this time to get a quick scan of the other IS, _Blue Tears_ was its name. A long range fighter, with access to six BITS. The scans showed four were separate drone parts, but he had no data on the other two.

"Just so you know, I won't go easy on you. And, as a sign of mercy, I will allow you to apologize for that comment you made to me yesterday. I will accept it, along with your surrender." Cecilia shouted at him.

"Unlike your country in Malaya 1942, I will not surrender while I hold the superior force!" Gio retorted.  
"There were other factors in that!"

"Maybe so, I didn't finish reading the Wikipedia page!"

"Were you looking up British defeats just to make jokes at me?!"

"...maybe." Gio muttered, then sneezed, which sounded a lot like _Jubilee_ somehow.

"That's Canadian!"

"Oh, fuck you then!"

The announcer introduced the two pilots, everyone was at the edge of their seat. But inside the viewing area, Chifuyu was trying to coax Maya to give her the tablet with the info of Gio's IS.

"Maya, it can't be bad. Just hand me the tablet." Chifuyu said, trying to pull the tablet away.

"It is! It's absolutely horrific what Ms. Alcott is up against! She has no chance!" Maya cried back.

"Maya, are you discounting a student?"

"No, but...Nevermind, you read it." She gave in, giving the tablet to Chifuyu.

Chifuyu sighed, and grabbed the tablet. While she was looking over the design, she grabbed her coffee, and started to drink. When she read the weapons and defense specs, she spat out her coffee right into Ichika's face.

"WHAT THE FUCK!?" They both shouted, for different reasons. Houki, who was drinking some water, read off the tablet as well. Her drink also ended up on Ichika's face.

"WHAT THE FUCK!?" They both said, again, for different reasons. Ichika wiped his face off, then took the tablet as well. "Well, this certainly is something worth spitting about."

Back in the arena, the two pilots readied their weapons. Cecilia with her sniper, Gio with his railgun, which was still charging after all this time.

"3…2...1...Begin!"

Cecilia opened up with her sniper shots, Gio dodging them with ease. He raised his left arm up, firing the 40mm cannon that was connected to it. The shots weren't accurate, but they were still a threat. Cecilia dodged the shots, and fired back with equal power. Gio raised his right hand, the fire shield igniting in front of him and melting the shots away.

"Umm, Ms. Orimura, I have a question." Houki asked in the viewing area.

"And that would be?" the instructor asked back.

"How's Gio melting plasma shots?"

Chifuyu stared at the screen, not saying anything, for she did not know how Gio was doing that either.

Back on the field, Gio dispelled the fire shield, and brought out the Predator Cannon. He aimed at Cecilia, and let loose a hailstorm of lead. Cecilia flew away from the shots, and Gio's bullet trailed behind her like an anti-aircraft cannon. She launched her BITS, hoping to distract the enemy with them. The small blue drones flew towards Gio, who fired at them with the Predator. Cecilia took this as an opening, and flew towards Gio. Her chance improved greatly when she saw him turn away. As she got closer, she realized she had seen a Trebuchet on Gio's IS.

Then she realized that the Trebuchet hadn't fired all match. And that the gun swiftly turned towards her. In the viewing room, the group watched on a giant screen as Cecilia flew closer to Gio and saw the second she realized her mistake.

The railgun fired, and the instant it did Cecilia was shot across the arena. She hit the ground first, creating a giant trench, and hit the arena wall with a sickening _CRUNCH_. Gio quickly disposed the remaining BITS, his Predator turning them to lead filled scrap. He turned back to where Cecilia was. While Cecilia's IS had 750 shield points, she now had only 24. She hadn't taken a single hit during the match, and now she was almost down and out. She staggered to stand up, her IS was okay, and Cecilia could feel the concussion coming on. She looked up at the Hammond pilot, he really hadn't taken much damage. His rechargeable shield slowly regained its strength, and his regular shield hadn't even been touched.

"Ms. Orimura, it would appear this match is going to Gio." Ms. Yamada stated, looking at the stat points of the two pilots. Ichika and Houki thought the same thing.

"I knew that. This match was over from the start." Chifuyu stated blandly, like she was bored.

"He does have an impressive shield amount, and his weapons are excellent-" Ms. Yamada started, but was interrupted by Chifuyu pulling a tablet out, and pulling up a video and moving it onto the main screen. The three others watched, it was a security tape of Arena 6 from a couple days back. They watched as the third years trained, get interrupted by Gio, then summarily destroyed by him in the time span of about 10 minutes.

"I watched this before the school semester began, and I thought about showing Alcott...But I decided Gio needed her to shut up about Hammond and prove himself to Alcott." Chifuyu explained.

"Ms. Orimura, why would Gio want that? I mean, he's pretty much established himself by doing all that we just watched." Houki asked, Ichika nodding in agreement.

Chifuyu moved the screen back to the fight. "Just watch."

Back in the arena, Gio moved closer to Cecilia, "Hey, you good in there?" He shouted to the crater in the wall that was Cecilia and _Blue Tears_.

Cecilia walked out, her IS not damaged, but the fight wasn't over yet. She looked horrible though, and angry.

"YOU BASTARD! HOW DARE YOU TRASH ME LIKE THIS!" She shouted, and Gio didn't need a PHD to know he probably caused something to come loose. "I AM CECILIA ALCOTT! REPRESENTATIVE CONTENDER OF THE UNITED KINGDOM! I WILL NOT BE OUTDONE BY SOME LUCKY SHIT-WILLED POWDERKEGIAN!"

At that, Chifuyu winced. Everyone turned to her, looking quizzically. Chifuyu sighed, "Hammond is the Balkan countries united under one government, and really that was what got everyone behind them in the first place, a union to establish peace in a very war torn area of the world. But the Balkans have been known to be areas where major conflicts started, or was the reason for doing so. So they were given the term "The Powder Keg of Europe". The Hammond Republic hates when their people are relegated to this term, and the word "powderkegian" is synonymous with hate for the Balkans."

Houki shivered, "Does that mean…?"

"Cecilia basically just called Gio something equivalent to the N-word, with the hard 'R'."

The group turned towards the arena, and waited.

Meanwhile, Cecilia was still throwing a temper tantrum about losing. "I HAVE WORKED HARD ALL MY LIFE TO GET HERE! AND ALL YOU DID WAS DEFEAT FOUR IS'S!? THAT ISN'T FAIR AT ALL!"

"I don't think I follow." Gio responded.

"Allow me to explain, you sorry excuse for cannon fodder. My country is great and powerful, and your sorry excuse for a union, that only copies the great and powerful, that we call the Hammond Republic is nothing more than mercenary group with extra people. You may defeat four IS pilots, but all of your pilots are inferior even to the most green IS pilots from Alaskan Treaty countries!"

"So?" Gio responded. He seemed calm, but the viewing area screen showed that his brain was giving off some crazy readings.

"Do you have a brain, or have all those wars destroyed your capability to have cognitive thought? You would have to defeat a BATTALION of ISs to get to my level or even be close! I AM THE SUPERIOR! SO BOW DOWN YOU WARMONGERING, BULLET SPEWING, ISLAMOPHOBIC, ANTI-SEMITIC POWDERKEGIAN!" She finished, panting hard. Cecilia wiped her eyes, staring at the Hammond pilot.

It was only then she realized she had little shield left, was facing a Hammond IS/Titan Hybrid, and had pretty much just insulted everything he fought for.

Actually, scratch that. She would probably have been better off doing that instead.

"Prepare a coffin for Alcott. Also, someone get the UK's prime minister on the phone." Was all Chifuyu said, looking down at the situation.

"Ms. Orimura, is Gio going to kill Cecilia?" Houki asked.

"Hopefully not, but if he does I hope he can bring her back to life so I can kill her for that choice of language she used."

Suddenly, the screen gave off multiple warning signs in almost every language. The warning system started blaring, and the shutters in the arena closed the arena off from the spectators.

"Warning, Threat Level B, spectators need to evacuate immediately. All instructors, report for threat suppression." The system report, relaying it over the PA system. "All public access is to be closed after evacuations are completed."

"Chifuyu, what's happening?!" Ichika shouted.

"I...don't know." She responded, not bothering to reprimand Ichika about not calling her Ms. Orimura.

On the field, Cecilia was still staring at Gio. Her eyes couldn't move away from the IS, she was locked in place by fear. The IS was glowing with a dark red hue, and Gio raised his right hand. The hand ignited, and Gio seemed to grasp something. He pulled back, as he was a broadsword of pure flame came out. He spun it, and thrusted it into the ground. As it hit the arena floor, a wave of black void shot out in every direction. The void hit the group, blinding them.

When she opened their eyes, Chifuyu was greeted with an overlook of a burning city. She looked around, seeing she was standing in pretty beat up building, probably an old apartment complex. Chifuyu was in a very open floor, the only thing blocking her vision was a stairwell and the occasional column holding the floor above them up. She looked out into the city, watching a sporadic AA fire lit up the sky, and the crack of small arms fire was heard occasionally. Chifuyu looked to her right, and saw a group of soldiers were staring out through a large hole in the building. She moved towards the group, and saw there were three soldiers wearing standard Iraqi Army issue uniform. They had a machine gun pointed down at the streets below, one of the them had an RPG on his back. Chifuyu was still trying to understand what was happening when the soldiers shouted something in arabic, and fired their machine gun at something moving on the streets. The RPG soldier hit his buddy firing the MG, yelling something Chifuyu couldn't understand. The soldiers turned the gun around, facing the stairwell. His buddy reloaded the gun, and waited. The other two got behind columns, waiting as well. Chifuyu heard footsteps, and what sounded to be someone speaking in serbian. The soldiers readied their weapons, and Chifuyu watched as two figures appeared from the stairwell.

Chifuyu didn't get a good look at them as they were literally ripped to shreds by assault rifle and MG fire. But under the Iraqis, and behind them, the floor blew upwards, and a soldier in an exosuit, which gave the wearer a wrist-mounted minigun on the left arm, appeared from the smoke, and started firing. The machine gunner was destroyed by the bullets, by the RPG soldier was able to fire a rocket off at the exosuit soldier, destroying him. The two lowered their weapons. They looked down at their comrade, kneeling down to him. Chifuyu watched, but her heightened sense of hearing picked up footsteps coming up the stairwell. She turned back, and saw one more figure walk up the stairs, the soldier was smaller than the other three, but wore the same armor. His rifle shook in his hands, and his face looked young. Chifuyu looked closely at the soldier, trying to figure out why he looked so familiar. Then she saw the turquoise eyes.

The soldier standing in front of the two Iraqi soldiers, clad in Hammond grunt armor, was Gio Inferno.

Chifuyu suddenly put two and two together, and understood what was going on. She looked out into the city, and she realized why it seemed so familiar to her. She was flown out to this city after the fighting in it had ceased as part of a celebrity group to help the younger ones affected by the war. She remembered seeing a Hammond soldier guarding the entrance, his face void of emotion and his eyes dull and broken.

And the eyes were turquoise as well.

This was the Third Battle of Fallujah, the city was the last place the Middle Eastern Alliance had assaulted, which was one year before the war ended, and two years ago. Gio was 17 when he entered the ISA, meaning he was 14 or 15 when this battle had happened.

But Gio was here, standing in front of two Iraqi soldiers who were kneeling to their fallen comrade. His eyes were full of fear, his rifle shaking, and he seemed to be quietly crying.

Chifuyu wondered if Gio would just run downstairs and back out into the streets. But instead, he did what no 15 year old should have to do. He gave a defiant cry, and pulled the trigger on his rifle. The automatic rifle ripped through the Iraqi soldiers, killing them. Gio kept firing, not even firing at anything. He emptied his mag, and stopped shouting. His rifle dropped from his hands, and Gio fell to his knees. The numbers _614_ was seen clearly on the back of his armor. Chifuyu looked the other three corpses, and saw the same numbers on them. She just watched what was probably Gio squad die, and Chifuyu knew what that meant as someone who had worked with the military. She moved towards Gio, but her vision was distorted. She blinked, trying to clear her vision. She closed her eyes, and opened them to a new vision.

She saw Gio, who looked to be maybe 10 years old, still on his knees, but he was in front of a laboratory. The building looked to just have been under attack, and Chifuyu got closer to the young version of one of her pupils. When she was directly behind him, she gasped.

On either side of Gio were corpses, one to the left and one to the right of him. The corpses looked like older versions of Gio, both in a masculine and feminine forms. Chifuyu couldn't fathom what he was going through. She could get close, her parents left her and Ichika, but leaving by choice left anger in a child, leaving by death left pain.

The visions suddenly became rapid. She could barely keep up with them.

A soldier on her knees, and a shotgun disintegrating her head to her shoulders.

Two teens running in an open field.

A pilot integrating into an IS mech for the first time.

A cadet being beaten up on a parade ground.

This was what Chifuyu saw, and when they ended, she woke up in the real world. She stood up, and rushed to the window looking out into the arena.

She saw Ichika dragging Cecilia away from her destroyed IS, which was taken apart and had many burnt and dented areas on it. She saw Houki relaying orders from where Maya should have been, and Maya fighting Gio in her _Raphael Revive_ IS. Gio's IS had been changed since she last saw it. The IS was taller, around 21 feet tall instead of the usually 18 feet it was. It was now black instead of grey, had a Trebuchet on each shoulder, a flaming broadsword, which Gio was using right now, and an XO-16 Chaingun strapped to his back. Chifuyu watched as Gio battered Maya, who wasn't even close to denting Gio, according to the screen. And apparently, Gio's defense specs had changed as well. His rechargable shield was now 7,000 instead of 5,000, but the regular shield had dropped to 12,000 instead of 22,000. The IS wasn't even named _Firestorm_ anymore.

Chifuyu stared at the name, and something inside her mind presented her with a memory.

 _The Last Chapter shall hold the Gods in his own hands, and only with the closure of his past will he ascend to a new plane of power unseen in this world, causing the being to be unmatched for an eternity._

Those were the last words she remember her mother saying to her, and by looking at this name, she found the one she was talking about.

For the IS's name…

...was _Canto 34._

 **Review and Favorite, PM any questions.**


	3. Episode 3-Revelations

**Chapter 3 time. And if you already haven't guessed:**

 **Yes this will be longer than the original story, and yes the Trebuchet is from War Robots.**

 **Also, each chapter will start with a short passage about something relevant to the plot or a lore piece of the story.**

 _Data File 0018: IS/Titan Hybrids_

 _The IS/Titan Hybrids were the first IS models to be produced from a new and original core. These cores were taken from an IS model 'supposedly' acquired from the Dunois Corporation, and Raphael Revive model. The core was then taken out of the IS and modified to function with Hammond's secondary project, the 2nd Generation of Titans (See Data File 0017). The cores were replicated to fit for each individual Titan class. Two prototypes, being an Ogre and an Atlas model hybrid, were created and are now used as trainers and PMC security. The project was completed shortly before the end of the Middle Eastern War, and the second stage of the project was started shortly after. The IS/Titan Hybrids are considered the best in the world, having two shields, one being smaller and rechargeable while the other is larger, but with the same properties of a regular IS shield system. IS/Titan Hybrid shields are significantly larger than that of a conventional IS, the lowest shield being only 5,500, and the Hybrids are much taller, being around 18-20 feet tall. Stage two is suspected of combining Hybrid cores together to make new cores, as seen with Firestorm, being a Legion/Scorch Combined Hybrid._

 **Arena**

Maya took a step back, giving her a crucial second to regain her bearings. She was in an outdated model IS, fighting an IS/Titan Hybrid, piloted by the strongest Hammond pilot the country could (supposedly) offer. And he was absolutely crushing her.

Oh, and the Brunhilde had been knocked out in the void wave from earlier.

Gio seemed to stagger a bit, like he was drunk. His face was contorted, and he had only one eye open. The void wave hadn't affected everyone like it did with Chifuyu, but they were lucky to get back up when they did. Gio had started to beat the ever living shit out of Cecilia, draining her shield points. Maya had quickly changed into her IS, as she always kept it on her. While that was common for the instructors to keep their IS with them at all times, she couldn't count on Chifuyu right now, due to the fact Gio's void wave, or whatever it was, knocked her out. She readied a grenade launcher, and prepared to fire at Gio.

Gio, his face covered by a black hockey mask, twirled hs broadsword, and threw it up into the air. The sword flew up, and the second before gravity took hold on it, Gio shot up and grabbed it. Gravity took hold, and Gio fell towards the Earth. He angled his wings to fall-

-right on top of Maya.

She quickly jumped back, an instant later Gio slammed where she would have been. His landing threw up a dust screen. Maya tried to see what was in the dust, but what answered was two Trebuchet shots. The first one ripped hit her dead center, killing her shield. The other one hit her left arm. The shot blew off the IS armor, leaving her arm unshielded. A 40mm shot ripped through her leg armor. Another blew the right arm armor off. She flew off, the next shot aiming for her head.

The dust cleared, and the IS was holding up his left arm, with the 40mm cannon aimed at Maya. The right hand was holding the broadsword, making it a stand to handle the double recoil of the Trebuchets and the lower recoil of the 40mm. Gio pulled out the sword, and pointed at Maya. His IS started powering up his jets. They went to a horizontal angle, pointing their jetwash directly behind Gio. Maya could only hope someone got Chifuyu up, and that she was coming. Maya couldn't hold out against any longer.

Gio's IS fired the afterburners, dashing and jumping at Maya. His sword was aiming at Maya's neck. The instant before Gio swung, Maya closed her eyes. She waited, but was met with a mad _CLANG_.

Maya opened her eyes, and saw Chifuyu right in front of her. Chifuyu was only holding a katana.

' _Amazing, she is everything I thought she was.'_ Gio unconsciously thought.

Chifuyu swung the sword, pushing Gio back and slicing his mask. The right half broke off, revealing a red eye. No iris, no teal, nothing. Just red. Gio flew back, his left covering his revealed face. His IS flickered, as if it was an illusion. Gio removed his hand, and charged at Chifuyu. Chifuyu quickly grabbed Maya, and jumped at of the way. She looked back, as two more IS instructors landed next to the two. Of course, the random feat of Chifuyu pulling an IS and the pilot out of the way in an instant was overlooked, they were used to it. The two ISs, _Revives_ , loaded assault rifles. One more IS landed, a _Uchigane_ , but the pilot wasn't a instructor.

"Sarashiki, back off. This is way above a first year." Chifuyu said, without looking. The Sarashiki girl only looked at Chifuyu, indignant to the comment. She charged at the Hybrid IS.

Kanzashi Sarashiki, a first year pilot at the ISA. She had been working on her IS when the alarm went off. She quickly donned a spare _Uchigane_ she had nearby, luckily she hadn't stripped it for parts yet for her project. While this _was_ way above a first year, maybe even eclipsing a third year, she had to prove herself. The wound of losing her personal IS to Instructor Orimura's brother was still fresh. If she defeated this IS, it would be big for her. The IS was not only beating Instructors, but it was a _Hammond Hybrid_. Something to eclipse her older sister for sure!

Of course, she forgot what to do when the Hammond Hybrid actually fought back. She got close enough to swing her katana, but it was caught easily by the IS. Kanzashi stared, blanking on what to do next. The hybrid, however, did not share that problem. The Hammond pilot grabbed Kanzashi, bringing her close to his face. Kanzashi stared at the IS, fear engulfing her.

Gio, however, stared at the blue-haired pilot with curiosity. She seemed familiar. Then he noticed the red eyes. His teal eyes went wide.

 _ **Hammond IS Command East (HISCE), Burgas (Bulgarian Sector)**_

" _And she was able to bring down multiple tanks?" A figure asked behind a desk. The room was dark, but behind the figure was a screen. It depicted a map of the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula. The Bulgarian, Romanian, and the eastern half of the Greek sector were shown, with Turkey and the Middle East shown on another screen. Both screens had troop movements, statistical numbers showing predictions of outcomes of certain actions that could be taken._

" _Quite sure of it, I believe our 'witness' can attest to this." the junior officer said. He nodded to another soldier, who was smaller than the average soldier. His body language showcased weariness._

" _Lieutenant, I don't think the higher ups or the UN will approve of the statements coming from a soldier we just found as a child. Even as it stands, the UN hates us for lowering our draft age to 16. Add on the fact we have TLC units."_

" _So we just take the statement, and have another soldier give the same statement. No one will know, the UN isn't even involved with this war, so they can't call BS."_

 _The senior officer gave it some thought, the junior officer gave the file to the young one. "Here kid, tell me what you saw out there."_

 _The soldier stared at the picture in the file. It was an IS pilot with blue hair, and red eyes._

 **Present Day**

"YOU!" Gio shouted. Kanzashi recoiled, definitely scared now. "WHERE IS THE OTHER?!"

"...what?" Kanzashi meekly asked. "I don't understand…"

"THE OTHER ONE! THE OTHER SARASHIKI!"

"My sister?"

"YES!" Gio yelled, his voice slightly distorted.

"Why? Why do you want her?" Kanzashi calmly asked, now she was beyond scared, but relaxed enough knowing that the Hybrid wasn't gunning for her.

Gio shuddered, his voice was more controlled. "Her and I...have crossed paths before…"

' _What the hell? Why do I feel...so calm...like she and I have something in common…_ ' Gio thought, he was regaining control of himself. ' _She's...she's hurt by something…'_

Gio pried the katana out of Kanzashi's hands, dropping it beside him. He put his free hand up, his index finger touching her forehead. His IS gave off a dark hue, but Gio didn't pay attention to it. He was more preoccupied with what he saw in Kanzashi's mind.

' _She desire's strength...to move beyond the shadow of something...or someone. That thought process, why does it calm me down? Because...no...that's not possible.'_ Was all Gio thought before his IS faded, leaving Gio to fall to the ground. Kanzashi barely caught the pilot before he hit the ground. She brought him up, holding the pilot in her arms as one would hold a newborn.

Chifuyu was staring at the whole scene from a ways away. She was ready to jump in if Kanzashi's 'confrontation' went south. However, now she was more worried what Gio did to Kanzashi, and why it dispelled his IS instantly. Kanzashi walked back, the unconscious pilot in her arms. "Ms. Orimura, what should I do with this pilot?"

"Take him to the infirmary, I'll question him when he wakes up." She responded.

Kanzashi nodded, and flew off to the infirmary. Chifuyu stared at the arena.

"Maya, when Gio wakes up, make sure he know he has to clean up the arena."

 **Infirmary**

Kanzashi was still with our protagonists, even though she had brought him to the infirmary almost 15 minutes ago. She was staring down at the Hammond pilot, wondering if there was some reason why _she_ was able to calm him down.

Officially, she was zero for two on the male IS pilots. Fun.

Kanzashi had many questions, but one was why this pilot was so invested in hr sister. What did Tatenashi do that would piss off a Hammond pilot?

"I can explain that."

Kanzashi whipped her head around to see who spoke. She came face to face with Chifuyu, who still had her own katana strapped to her waist. "Relax, the weapon is for in case he wakes up, and still is looking for a fight."

Kanzashi sweatdropped, "Okay, but what about that thing you just-"

Chifuyu sighed, "Gio Inferno, he's isn't just a pilot from Hammond. His past is something you wouldn't expect a child to go through in a country like the Hammond Republic."

"What do you mean?"

"Hammond's government planned that a fight in the Middle East was going to be an extended affair, since the terrorist militaries were now partnering with the Middle Eastern countries, forming the Middle Eastern Coalition, or the MEC. With this, Hammond lowered the drafting age to 16, but the manpower was still too low. So they went to orphanages, forcing those 16 and up into the forces. These soldiers were put into separate divisions, but one of the 'recruitment' officers picked up some underaged recruits."

"...One of them was Gio, right?"

"Correct, Gio was forced into the 614th Division. They were strictly an infantry division, no tanks or light vehicles, always being transported directly to the frontlines via air transport. This division, along with other divisions of the same soldiers, were grouped together under the nickname 'The Lost Children', ironically abbreviated as **TLC**. They were always sent to the worst of the fighting in the war, and suffered a 78% casualty rate for the entire war."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning 78% of the soldiers in these divisions, from the 603rd to the 620th, were killed or in a hospital. To make this even worse, each division had about 16,500 soldiers each. And that's 18 divisions."

"That's...no..."

"231,000 orphans were part of the casualty number in that war. But here's the sick part, 'The Lost Children' inflicted around six times that number of casualties back at the MEC."

" _WHAT!?_ "

"Reports from both sides point that almost 1.4 million soldiers were shot or injured by the TLC divisions."

"What do you mean 'shot or injured'?"

"Because us 'TLC' divisions were given the bare minimum of equipment."

Kanzashi whipped her head around so fast Chifuyu thought she snapped her neck in the process. Gio was sitting straight up staring at the two, his eyes seemed to have been slightly greyed. "Bet you didn't know that?"

Chifuyu put her hand on the hilt of her weapon. "Explain."

"Hammond TLC divisions were given dated equipment, and sometimes just melee weapons. I don't even know how we caused that many casualties, but when we really started getting into it, the higher ups gave us better equipment. Once the guns and exo suits with miniguns started rolling out, MEC units started respecting us, fearing us."

Kanzashi backed away from the pilot. "Why?"

"They were scared because a bunch of kids with nothing to live for were fighting better than a bunch of well trained soldiers with everything to fight for. Imagine the UN's surprise when the MEC leaders came to the table, pleading for Hammond to stop fighting."

"How was there surprise?"

"Hammond was expected to be pulverized. I mean, Hammond versus Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Syria, and Jordan was one thing. But when Hammond started getting really into the war, Yemen stopped it's civil war, and the little Middle Eastern countries joined as well. Even with support from the 'Big Three', being the US, Russia and China, the Hammond forces still prevailed."

"I still wonder what would've happened if the Big Three fully committed." Chifuyu wondered aloud.

"So yes, I am child soldier. I was in an orphanage after my parents were killed." Gio finished off, ending the discussion of his past.

"But..what the hell was that IS?" Kanzashi questioned.

"Unlike normal IS, Hybrid IS don't have 'shifts', they have forms. These forms are temporary shifts, essentially. The stats fluctuate between forms, but the shield points don't drop below a regular IS's. These forms can be simply a change in defense points, to a completely different IS, and everything in between." Gio explained. "The only thing that keeps an IS better than a Hybrid is the fact an IS can keep its final form."

"Not a great factor to be better than, but the IS has SOMETHING over the Hybrids, at least." Kanzashi sighed.

"So, now you are going to explain your IS, right?" Chifuyu questioned the Hammond pilot.

Gio sighed. "Why not? What do you wanna know?"

"Why _Canto 34_?"

"The name is signifies that the IS is the 34th core of Hybrids. The usual denotation is H-034."

Chifuyu crossed her arms an arched an eyebrow, not buying his explanation.

" _Fine_ , the IS was given this name for its overuse of flame weapons. That, and the scientist who was naming it had a thing for _The Inferno_."

"Thought so."

Gio sighed. "This form is the only form I've unlocked so far, the other two don't even appear on data screens. I assume they will when they're unlocked."

"So you can summon the form at will?"

"No, I have to unlock it. I haven't found the ability to do it without forcing it yet, unlike other Hammond pilots."

Chifuyu took her hand off her weapon. "Well, it seems you're not a threat. Thankfully, you only scared Cecilia, but her IS is pretty much garbage until the repair club fixes it. And find all the parts, some of them were thrown across the campus."

"Whoops?"

"Don't apologize, I understand where you were coming from. Cecilia went off on you."

Gio nodded, and got out of the bed. Kanzashi stared, shocked. "Are you sure you should be walking so soon?" She asked, timidly.

"I'll be fine, I've had worse." Gio answered, waving off the question.

Chifuyu pinched the bridge of her nose. "Why do I feel like that's true?"

"So what happened was…" Gio started.

 **Gio/Ichika's dorm**

Gio opened the door to his room, yawning slightly. He really shouldn't have told that story about how he got into a fight with another Hammond pilot, leading to Gio to almost lose his hand...and foot...and any of his limbs, really.

He walked in, and found a blonde girl standing in his room, with Ichika in the background.

"Ichika, is this your way of telling me you're kicking me out of the room?" Gio asked, nonchalantly.

"No, Cecilia has something to say to you." Ichika answered, and nudged Cecilia with his elbow.

"Gio...I want to apologize." Cecilia started.

Gio raised his hand up, interrupting her. "Stop right there, I understand why you are apologizing. However, I don't deserve it."

"But I-"

"I vividly remember tearing your IS up after almost killing you with my second form. I think you got your punishment. No apology is needed." Gio explained.

"Oh good, now that's-"

"Now take off your clothes, you're gonna apologize Hammond style."

" _WHAT?!_ "

"I'm kidding, that was a joke. We don't really do that."

Now Ichika decided to speak up. "Wait, what about that thing that Hammond does with impromptu battle losers-"

"We don't speak of that." Gio shot that question quickly, "Don't bring that up."

"Okay got it."

Gio turned back to Cecilia. "I hope I haven't angered you too much with this fight. It wasn't my intent to completely destroy your IS and render you obsolete."

"Why is your apology still have a sense of animosity in it?"

"How I was raised."

"I read your file, Gio."

"Ah, then you already know how I was raised."

Cecilia sighed, "Well, I best be off. Goodnight you two." And with that, she left.

Gio watched her leave, and as she closed the door, he turned back to Ichika. "She's not so bad when she's not being a totally brat."

 **So I have finished up this chapter, originally what had happened here was in Chapter 2 of the OG story. With that being said, I'm gonna try and flesh out Gio and Kanzashi's relationship a bit more. So with that, adios.**

 **Also, if there seems to be any plot holes, don't hesitate to PM me and I'll probably address it in the next chapter.**


	4. Episode 4-Dragon

**Between** _ **The H Stands For Help Me**_ **and** _ **The Past Defines Who We Are**_ **, I have a busy schedule. Also, hella behind on that first thing. Also also, there's a poll up on my profile.**

 _Data File 0012: HMBT-23 'Paladin' Tank and the HHT-25 'Barbarian' Tank_

 _Created a decade before the Middle Eastern War, Paladin and Barbarian tanks were Hammond's answer to the void of a tank roll in their military. While it may have been cheaper to just build better armor and tack it on a pre-existing tank from America, Russia, or Germany, Hammond figured it would build its own. The HMBT-23 Paladin (Hammond Mainline Battle Tank, model 23) tank was made in the shape of an Abrams, but had better engine power than the Abrams and the Russian counterpart, the T-90. The armor was stronger than both tanks, and went faster than both. The main weapon(s) were the dual mounted 210mm cannons, firing APHE, HEAT, and the ever famous APFSDS (similar to Sabot rounds). The secondary weapon was a Spitfire LMG on top of the turret, and a dual-barrelled one near the left side near the bottom of the chassis. The HHT-25 (Hammond Heavy Tank, model 25) Barbarian is one of the few heavy tank models still in service in a military, maybe the only model, in the world. Created shortly before the Middle Eastern War, the Barbarian is the Paladin tank on steroids. Armed with either a dual 250mm cannon set or a single Trebuchet, these tanks are a force to be reckoned with. The tank is a larger Paladin tank, with more armor and slower speeds. The tank also comes with twelve Surface to Air missiles, launched from a launcher on the top of the tank turret. The tank's tertiary weapons are the 50 caliber machine guns. A double-barrelled 50 cal on the turret and a ball turret on the front of the tank. The tank fires the same shells as the Paladin, but the APFSDS (designated Shell Type-90) is capable of destroying an IS. While this might be overpowered, the cost of producing these shells is high, and the cost of a Barbarian tank far outweighs the cost of a Titan. These two Anti-IS methods/models still compete, but when the IS pilots of the world turn their guns towards Hammond, the end of the IS era will be at hand..._

 **Somewhere in Sector Serbia, Hammond Republic**

"Commissar, this is rather unwise."

"Oh, I am well aware of that. But I do not question the Supreme Commander's orders."

"Commissar, these models are only to be used as a last resort, like if Hammond is invaded, or if the world is under attack and we are the last bastion! Not some experiment!"

"I do not question my leader's orders, and neither shall you. Of course, it is a favor to repay our 'friends' for helping us."

"Commissar, they are not friends, no one in this world is our friend. We have pissed off everyone, and they tolerate us because we have the oil and manufacturing to keep our GDP up with the Big Three. But this...this will be what breaks the camel's back."

The Commissar sighed. "I am aware, but we already knew we were playing a dangerous game when we started playing both sides, the line between enemies and friends of our country have become very blurred. But I assume, the showcasing of these new models will certainly keep the blasted UN quiet. After all…"

The Commissar and his aid turned to the towering mechs, painted in black camo, their one visual system looking around the room, scanning for hostiles. One their right arm, replacing the hand, was a M134 minigun.

"We do as we please anyway. But now, the Age of Monarchs shall return to the world once more."

"...As you wish, Commissar Fauzer."

 **Classroom 1-1, ISA**

It had been three days since the fight. Cecilia's IS was more or less put back together, Ichika's IS had arrived, but Gio hadn't seen it yet, and Gio was fully recovered. However, now that he was fully recovered, Gio could focus on other things. Like what he was doing right now.

Gio paced around the classroom, his mind currently far off. The rest of the students in the class watched him with worry. They all had seen the fight, and were very cognizant of Gio's power, and they all had seen the stats of Gio's IS, and were keeping away from him. It was unknown when he would lash out at someone. Of course, Gio was pacing for different reasons than one may think.

' _Why did the Sarashiki make me feel calm? Last time I was face to face with one of their clan, I was fighting for my life._ ' Gio thought. ' _It doesn't make sense._ '

"Uh..Gio?"

Gio turned to the sound of where the noise was. "Yeah?"

It was Houki had spoken. "Could you stop pacing? You're kinda..well…"

Gio's face scrunched up slightly, wondering what she was talking about. It was when he smelled something burning, and looked down, seeing he was leaving burn marks where ever he stepped, he realized what she was talking about. "It seems I am literally pacing a hole into the floor."

"Yeah.."

Gio sighed, waving it off. "Not to worry, I'll handle it-"

It was at this moment Chifuyu walked in. "Good morning-"

"Houki did it."

" _WHAT?!_ " The girl shouted.

"Inferno, you're still standing in the burnt path. It's kinda hard to imagine Houki did it." Chifuyu stated flatly.

"...You make an excellent point, Ms. Orimura." Gio deadpanned, going back to his seat.

"Now with that taken care of, I have an announcement to make to all of you." Chifuyu started. "While I know this may come as a shocker to you all, since we just had a fight, the Class Representative tournament is coming up soon. And while he never fought Orimura, Inferno has been elected our representative."

Gio slammed his hands on his desk. " _WHAT!?_ "

"Do you have something to add?" Chifuyu asked.

"No, but Cecilia does that a lot, so I wanted to so what would happen."

"Hey!" Cecilia shouted, slamming her hands on her desk. "I do not!"

"...Moving on. With this, Inferno will be fighting the other class reps, regardless if they have an personal IS or not."

The class broke into whispers. Within the entire first year, only Gio, Ichika, and Cecilia had personal ISs. Gio with _Firestorm_ , Cecilia with _Blue Tears_ , and Ichika with _Byakushiki_ , which had arrived the day before. Most of the class had seen the fight, no one, thankfully(?) recorded it, and none of the other classes were any the wiser to Gio's power. So this entire tournament could be a cinch for Gio.

"Wait, since Gio is the only class rep with a personal IS, isn't this unfair?" Someone in the back asked.

Before Chifuyu could answer, someone appeared in the classroom doorway, and answered for her. "That information is outdated!"

The person who had answered was a short girl of chinese ascent, and had her hair in twintails. Gio's TCC, with its facial scanning, recognized her as-

"Rin?" Ichika asked. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm studying IS, duh!" She responded. Gio tilted his head quizzically, wondering if she was truly a threat. "And you." She said, turning to Gio. "You must be the Hammond pilot."

Gio looked around the classroom. "You talking to me, shortstack?"

"Yes! And don't call me that!" Rin responded angrily. "I can't wait to see what you can do. Fortunately for you, I get to face Ichika in the class rep tour-"

"Orimura isn't the class rep." Chifuyu said, cutting her off.

" _WHAT!?_ " She shouted. "Ichika should have easily been class rep!"

"There was a three way contest, Alcott fought Inferno-"

"That's his last name." Rin muttered.

"-and she lost. Orimura declined to fight Inferno, so Inferno was made class rep." Chifuyu finished. "So that's why Orimura isn't class rep."

Gio turned back to Rin. "You were saying?"

Rin scowled, but before she could respond, she was hit by the Chifuyu Clipboard(Trademarked). "Rin, while I enjoy the company, I have to ask you to go back to your class." Chifuyu said. "You can do this later."

"And if I don't want to?" She asked, testing the instructor.

Her answer wasn't from Chifuyu, but from Gio, who had partially deployed his IS. His left arm was deployed, and the 40mm cannon barrel was pointed at Rin. "Then you're going back to your class the expressway." Gio stated, but while the threat was real, he was smiling as if it were a joke. "I don't take too kindly to your country after the Middle East."

Rin backed away slowly, not exactly afraid of the threat, but worried that Gio would discharge the cannon instead. She nodded, and left the room. Gio dispelled his partial deployment, snickering at the reaction he got out of Rin. "Priceless, I'm two for two on scaring representative contenders."

"I don't think that's a record you should keep, Inferno." Chifuyu said, but was smirking nonetheless. "Now, our class is going to do field exercises today. So those with personal ISs will be demonstrating their machines. Now, get moving everyone!"

With that, Gio and Ichika shot out of the classroom like bats outta hell.

 **Outside on the training field**

"Inferno, why are you in your IS already?" Chifuyu asked.

When the rest of the class had arrived outside, they had found Gio and Ichika waiting. Gio had taken this time to deploy his IS, _Firestorm_ , and was charging his Trebuchet railgun the entire time since.

"It's hot out here, and my IS has AC." Gio responded.

"...Well alright then. Since Inferno has volunteered to demonstrate IS maneuvers, I don't need anyone else. Orimura, standby for further instructions."

"Yes, Ms. Orimura!" Ichika said. Gio shrugged, nonplussed at the jab at him.

"Inferno, I want you to go straight up into the air, and dive back down. But before you hit the ground, Orimura here will try and intercept you."

" _HUH!?_ " the two males asked.

"From there, Inferno must work to try and stop himself before he hits the ground." Chifuyu finished. The whole class nodded, as if they understood. Gio sighed, and heated his jets up. He proceeded to flash Ichika a smile, and blasted off the ground and into the air. He rose at an astonishing rate, his jets forcing him well above the academy. Around 45,000 feet, he stopped his climb, and hovered. He waited, looking at the view he had. It was stunning, he could see the whole ISA, and the nearby city. The ocean near the academy spread for miles, but since the Earth is round, it looked infinite. Gio nodded, cut his jets off, and let gravity do the rest of the work.

Ichika had been waiting for Gio to come back down for a while, so it was quite surprise when he saw an inferno falling out of the sky. Literally, Gio Inferno was falling from the sky in a blaze of glory. And fire, that too. Ichika's eyes widened, and he readied his sword. He only had one shot to intercept Gio, and he wasn't going to let Chifuyu down. His plan was simple, swing at Gio right when he passed him. It was foolproof!

Except Gio was speeding at terminal velocity, his face exuding confidence in his abilities. He put his fists up to protect his face, and right when he reached Ichika at around 5,000 feet in the sky and falling like a meteor, he punched Ichika in the face.

" _Reverse Uppercut!_ " Gio shouted, punching Ichika down back towards the Earth. Ichika reached the ground faster than Gio did, but Gio landed some ways from him.

To those on the ground, they saw Ichika go up, wait a few seconds, ready his sword, then get the hell knocked out of him by a meteor shouting " _Reverse Uppercut!_ ", and the two landing back on the track field in huge towers of dust. Ichika was on the left of the group, Gio was on the right, but both were in craters.

"That...hurt." Ichika struggled to get out.

"Awesome…" Gio mumbled, struggling to get up. "Can I do it again?"

Chifuyu walked over to Ichika, and looked down at the crater he was in. "Ichika, I don't think I can even understand what you were thinking."

Ichika dismissed his IS, sitting up. "I thought if I…"

Before Ichika could say another word, Cecilia jumped in the crater to help Ichika. "Ichika dear, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine-Wait, Ichika dear?!" The boy shouted, puzzled at why Cecilia would call him that.

Gio was still trying to get out of his crater, but with no luck. "Can I get a hand here? Anybody? Hello? Other male IS user still in crater here?"

Cecilia was still fawning over Ichika, with Houki trying to get her to go away. So Gio went largely ignored, much to his dismay.

Eventually Ichika was pulled from the crater, and carried to the infirmary. It was only then did Houki realize that the class was still missing a pilot. "Where's the Hammond pilot?"

"The Hammond pilot has a name!" Gio shouted. "But to answer your question, I'm in the other crater!"

Houki wasted no time getting down to the crater's bottom, finding Gio laying face up, and not moving. "What happened?" Houki asked the pilot.

"Well, my IS locked up as soon as it realized I was going to crash, so my suit delayed the locking till I was face up, but then I locked up immediately."

"And that means?"

"I can't move my body." Gio deadpanned. "I would appreciate it if you could reach down to my right wrist and find my tacpad on it."

Houki searched, and found, the tacpad, and tried to move it towards Gio, but the entire arm was locked. "Houki, can you find the settings button?" Houki found it. "Good, now look for 'IS' and press it." Houki did as told. "Alright, now look for the button that says: 'release lock'. That should do it." Houki pressed the button, and the IS was put back into its pocket dimension. "Thanks Houki, I owe you one."

Houki nodded. "Anytime."

"Well, since you are here. I do need help with something else."

Houki's eyes narrowed, what was he going to try?

"Since Ichika is, unfortunately, going to be busy with the blonde one, I need someone to spot me tomorrow." Gio explained. "Think you could fill in for him?"

Houki un-narrowed her eyes, a feeling of relief washing over her. She thought he might ask her on a date! But spotting him? That was easy, no biggie. "I can do that. What time?"

"Around 0530."

"O-okay then. Why so early?"

Gio shrugged. "I spent time in the military, remember? This is normal for me."

Houki sighed. At least she could probably figure out some things about Ichika from him, since he and Gio were roommates. What could go wrong?

 **That night, Gio and Ichika's Dorm Room**

Gio was hanging in the dorm room, typing on his computer. His superiors demanded a report from today, since Gio had come in contact with Ichika and his IS. His report stated what the blue haired boy's IS was, its power and abilities, and the weapon of choice. Multiple pictures were put in to add to the report, and a picture of Ichika was provided as well. He finished up the report with a side note that he had made contact with the younger Shinonono sister, and that was all. He yawned, encrypted the report, and sent it to the higher ups. He closed his laptop, and as soon as he did, the dorm room opened, and Ichika walked in.

"Ichika, where have you been?" Gio asked his roommate. "It's like…" Gio tried to guess. "...really late?"

Ichika sighed. "Sorry, Cecilia wanted me to do a hundred things with her."

Gio tilted his head. "Why is that?"

"I think, since I saved her from your second IS form, she's forgiven me. By the way, you weren't at the party."

"What party?"

"The class threw a party for you, since you became the new Class Rep." Ichika explained.

"But I wasn't told about a party." Gio stated. "I've been here the entire time, not doing anything."

"Well, you missed out." Ichika said, and went to get ready for bed. "By the way, I can't spot you tomorrow, Cecilia wants me to help her with something."

Gio rolled his eyes. "I got it. I already found a replacement for you."

"Alright, who is it?"

"I got Houki to do it. Now I owe her twice."

"What was the first time?"

"When you all left me in the crater." Gio deadpanned. "Thanks for that."

Ichika rubbed the back of his head and tried to not look Gio in the eye. Gio sighed, and flopped onto his bed, mumbling "Goodnight" to Ichika, and fell asleep.

 **The Next Day, Arena Six**

Houki was currently in a borrowed _Uchigane_ , wondering what she had done in her previous life to warrant this. What evil did she bring unto this world that made the universe go ' _Yeah, this should be close enough of a punishment_ '.

What was her current predicament? Gio Inferno was currently lifting her up and down in his IS. More accurately, she was lying on top of an M1 Abrams tank, while Gio lifted them up and down. It was absurd, but she was there as a watcher. As in, she would fly off if the combined weight was too much.

"Hey Houki?" Gio called from below.

"Hmm?"

"I'm really sorry about this."

Houki sighed, but smirked nonetheless when she lied on her stomach and boosted down on Gio, applying more weight for him to lift.

"Hey! I don't wanna die today!" Gio shouted. Houki laughed, but flew off anyway, as Gio threw the tank to another part of the arena. Houki stared in awe, but Gio shrugged. "It's nothing really, just an outdated tank."

"But that tank was never replaced until 2022, even some being converted to having a railgun to fight IS mechs, and you say ' _it's nothing really_ '?!"

"The Paladin tank is better. Fight me." Gio responded. "Dual 210mm cannons, what's better than that?"

"Fair point, but is it good against IS?"

Gio scratched his head. "Only with the APFSDS, then it's almost one-shot-one-kill."

Houki sighed in defeat. "Can't argue with that. I've seen that firsthand, and I believe the French military still is upset at the Hammond Military for trashing their ISs in a wargame exercise."

"Yes, but it's more of a joke between us two militaries now. By the way, you don't suppose we might get a new student soon?" Gio asked.

"It's a possibility." Houki shrugged. "But it's rare that a new pilot would be put into the school this late in the year."

"Hey, you never know. I got five bucks that says we got a new student."

"I'll take that bet."

The two started walking back to the lockers when Houki decided to ask Gio something. "Hey Gio, I know this might be a little bit of a privacy invasion, but-"

'Houki, I have no idea what or who Ichika is into. I can only help you so far." Gio responded. "My best guess is that he either isn't into girls, or doesn't want to date you and sees you as a friend. However, I can tell you that he isn't looking to date Cecilia."

Houki sighed. "Well, I guess I better keep trying!"

"Yeah-wait what?!"

"Is something wrong?"

Gio could only sigh. "Nevermind, I got other things to focus on right now."

Houki tilted her head, then realized the Class Rep Tournament was today, and Gio was rumored to be the first fight. "You're nervous, aren't you?"

Gio nodded. "I don't want _Canto 34_ to come out again. If that happens, the whole school is in danger."

"I'm pretty sure Chifuyu could take you."

"Possible, but you do know there is still two other, more powerful, forms in my IS, right?"

Houki paled, the IS/Titan hybrid still had two locked forms, possibly more powerful than the _Brunhilde_. What would the school do if they came out?

"I wouldn't worry about it too much, those forms are on forced lockdown. I can only have them unlocked under Hammond supervision. I can get as pissed off at the world as I can, but they won't come forth." Gio explained. "So I think we're okay."

"But wouldn't this training be counter-productive in helping you? The fight's in three hours, you know."

Gio scoffed. "The Representative Contender's IS won't do a dent against me. Just like Cecilia's and Ichika's IS, I am unstoppable."

"Really?"

Gio shrugged. "Probably, I don't know what she pilots."

Houki stood there, processing the information. Then, it dawned on her. "You don't know, do you?"

"I am most likely very screwed."

 **Hangar, 2 hours and 55 minutes later**

"Gio, are you aware of what you are up against?" Ichika asked. "Rin won't go down without a fight, you know."

"Then I'll beat the fight out of her." Gio responded, already in his _Firestorm_.

"No Gio, I mean she's really stubborn."

Gio blinked. "I don't see your point, Ichika. What's with the filler lines?"

"The what?"

"Nevermind, I got this. But, if you ask nicely, I won't totally obliterate her."

"You know what? Go crazy." Ichika sighed. "Just don't lose, please?"

"Oh no, my plans for this match just went out the window." Gio responded sarcastically. "But yeah, I hear ya. We won't live this down as a class if we lose the first match. And I won't live it down if I lose to a Chinese IS."

Ichika nodded, and walked to his seat. Houki walked up to Gio next. "You better not lose out there, the class would hate you forever if you did."

"If that _somehow_ happens, tell them to take a number. I got enough people back home who want me to step down from my position. Now, you might wanna back up, the jet wash is terrible on this thing."

Houki nodded, and backed away. Gio turned to the outside exit of the hangar, and powered his engines on. The IS came alive, screens giving Gio the necessary information on his IS. He nodded, raised his hand to signal he was lifting off, and shot out of the hangar.

 **Arena, a little earlier…**

Rin stared at the opposite hangar, waiting for her opponent. While she was slightly pissed at the thought that she wasn't facing Ichika, she would happily destroy the Hammond pilot. Beating a Hammond pilot would do wonders for her, as it would for anyone who beat a Hammond IS, especially the Hybrid models. However, she was confident in her abilities, and her IS. Besides, what would a regular Hammond IS be against her?

Her ears suddenly caught he slight sound of jets warming up. She readied herself, her scimitars at the ready. The noise became louder, and the Hammond pilot took to the arena air, stopping a ways from Rin.

"So, you came? I honestly thought you would back down." Rin said haughtily. "I guess not everyone in Hammond is afraid of China."

Gio grimaced. "Are all you Rep Contenders the same? Just ripping on Hammond like it's some silly game to you?"

"Well, they did lose the Middle Eastern War."

"We did?" Gio put his finger on his chin. "How did we lose if we made every single military vehicle in the world seem so obsolete to us? If I remember correctly, nothing the Big Three had could do much against us."

"So what? You still backed down. I'm surprised you aren't surrendering to me right here and now."

Gio scowled. "What lies does your country feed you? The Hammond Republic pulled out of the Middle East at your country's, and others, urging."

"But-"

Gio cocked his 40mm cannon. "Enough. This won't be settled with argument, so how about we make a deal?"

"Alright, I'm listening."

"If I win, you will admit that the Big Three didn't directly engage Hammond for fear of losing, and that China's tank models are inferior to Hammond's."

Rin scowled at that, but nodded. "But if you win, you'll step down from your position and admit that Hammond was afraid of China."

Gio nodded. "Deal."

The countdown began, and on "Go" the two IS pilots flew towards each other. Gio firing his 40mm and Rin with deflecting the shots with her Scimitars. They clashed, Gio blocking Rin's weapons with his right arm. He smirked, and aimed his 40mm at Rin's legs, forcing her away, but with minor damage.

"I will beat you!" Rin shouted, slamming her scimitars together to make a double-sided scimitar. She spun it, and flew back at Gio. Gio thrusted his right hand forward, and deployed a fire shield. Rin hit the shield, bouncing off of it. Gio then raised his 40mm, and fired, hiding behind the shield. Rin dodged most of the shots, but some landed on her. Her shield, which capped at 800, was now down at 690, while Gio's shield was still at 21990. His regen shield had been turned off, just to even the fight out a little bit. Rin snarled, charged Gio, and slammed the scimitar into the fire shield. It didn't bounce, but she pressed harder, unaware of the shield doing damage to her. Her Impact Cannons turned and faced Gio, and fired. The shots hit, pushing Gio back. His shield was not at 21550, and he took not that the shot cost him over 400 points.

' _Gotta be careful around that thing, cause right now I am leaving with some scratches._ ' Gio thought.

"Why is he so powerful? It's just a regular IS, right?" Rin wondered aloud. "You're piloting a regular Hammond IS! How are you winning?"

Gio looked up. "Where the hell did you hear that?"

"My government, they told me-"

"Lies."

Rin reeled back from the comment. "What?"

"Lies, as usual with your country."

"But...I was trained to fight you, you and the IS. It was stated as a regular-"

"And you believed it?"

Rin stopped talking, unsure of what to say.

Gio took a step forward. "I won't judge you on believing your government, cause that would be hypocritical. But your government was wrong. You prepared for a regular IS, but I assure you this, Hammond does not have 'regular' ISs."

"T-then what do you have?"

"My poor girl, we only have _hybrids_." And with that, the Trebuchet aimed towards Rin, and was a split second from firing.

Fortunately, and unfortunately, for Rin, Gio aimed away. " _Rin, move!_ " He shouted.

Rin suddenly sensed an incoming projectile, and dodged. In her place, multiple unidentified objects landed in her place. A smoke screen was thrown up, covering that side of the arena. Rin looked back to give the person a piece of her mind when she froze up.

In the control room, Chifuyu was trying to figure out what had happened. "I need a status report, what is going on down there?"

One of the students in the room turned to Chifuyu. "Ma'am, cameras report visual on Anti-IS weapons."

Chifuyu scowled. "Get me a visual."

"On screen now."

Chifuyu looked up at the screen, and her eyes went wide.

" _Get those pilots out of there!_ " She shouted.

 **Arena floor**

Rin was frozen in shock. She had heard reports from experienced pilots about these things. She heard the gruesome details, the fights these things put up against ISs. The armor, the regenerating shield, the weapons, all of it. Rin said her country wasn't afraid of Hammond, but she knew that her country, if not the world, was afraid of what Hammond produced. If these things were here, then the world was at stake. No other country had access to them, any who tried had been captured and put to death immediately, and their lives erased from the world. Her weapon shook in her hand, her eyes wide with fear. She hoped to God that this wasn't real.

Standing in front of her and Gio, was the _Monarch_ class Titan mech.

"Hey Rin?" Gio asked.

"..Y-yeah?"

"I don't think those are Hammond's."

 **For all those waiting for THSFHM, please be patient.**

 **Also, poll is on my page.**

 **See ya next month for this story.**


	5. Episode 5-Sacrifice?

**Work the story.**

 _Data File 0112: Monarch Titans_

 _Created during the Second Titan Generation, the Monarch class titan (now known as Monarch Mainline Titan 1, or Monarch MT-1) was created as a civilian defence robot. These robots were stationed in urban areas as a means to keep the populace in check. While these titans usually came armed with the standard XO-25 chaingun, missile rack, and energy siphon loadout, some Monarchs have been upgraded, via their core, to be better than the norm. These upgrades include better armor, electric bullets, larger missile rack, target locking missiles, and more destructive electric smoke canisters. These titans were no secret to the outside, and were usually present at diplomatic ceremonies with other countries. However, when the war in the Middle East was stagnating, the Vinson Dynamics corporation presented their newest titan, this titan jumpstarting the Third Titan Generation. The Monarch MT-2, also known as the Knight Titan. These titans have had their left hands replaced with a smaller version of the Rotary Cannon, a triple barrelled gatling gun, capable of firing a .90 caliber round at 600 rounds a minute. While it pales to other gatling guns, it does more damage. The MT-2 also has more armor and better speed, along with built in sonar capabilities. However in the past few weeks, a couple of models have gone missing..._

 **Arena**

"I don't think those are Hammond's." Gio stated.

Rin turned to the other pilot, her eyes conveying her fear. "Wait, so they're not Hammond models?"

"They are Hammond models."

"But they aren't Hammond titans?"

Gio nodded. "Yes, that is correct."

Rin stared at the enemy Monarchs, and then turned back to Gio. " _You mean someone else built these?!_ "

Gio blinked, then his eyes went wide. "Rin, those need to be destroyed, _now_." He loaded another clip in. "I think I figured out where the missing Hammond models went."

Rin twirled her scimitars. "Any info we could use? They are from your country. And what do you mean 'missing models'?"

"Those are the Monarch MT-2, known as the Knight titan." Gio explained. "A Third Titan Generation model, made to combat the Third Generation of IS models. As to the other question, well…"

Rin narrowed her eyes. "What?"

"Three models went missing from one of the main Hammond armories, and there are three here. So that means I found them."

Rin twirled her scimitar, facing the titans. "Good for you. Now do we destroy them?"

Gio nodded. "With the utmost prejudice." He aimed his Trebuchet, and fired the opening shot. His shot hit the center Knight, ripping a hole in the cockpit. The AI unit in the center was destroyed immediately, putting the Knight out of the fight.

Rin rushed the Knight on the left, trying to dodge the volley of shells it was firing at her with little success. They ripped her shields, but Rin reached the Titan and swung. The scimitar bounced off, leaving a scratch on the mech.

"What?!" Rin shouted. "That would've ended any IS easily!"

Gio swung his sword at the other Knight, which also bounced off too. "Rin, these are more armored than the regular titan! Also, they're not ISs!" Gio swung again, leaving a bigger mark. His 40mm would've been great here, except he had it change shell types before the fight started. His Trebuchet was doing the same thing, leaving it out of the fight.

Rin fired at the Knight, using the Impact Cannons she was armed with. These did a little more damage, but it still wasn't enough. "Gio! What other information you have on these titans?!"

"The regen shield amount is around 2000 points!"

"That's low."

"The armor shield amount is around 25000."

"What the FU-" Rin was interrupted by a barrage of .90 calliber shells destroying her shields.

Gio grimaced, the Knights were made to be tough, and unbeatable. What could he do to defeat them?

Gio suddenly remembered something from the briefing he had about the titans back in basic.

 _ **Basic Training- one year ago**_

 _Gio and the other officer cadets sat in a classroom, listening to an instructor talk about the titan models they would see in combat with them from now on. While Gio had already done basic when he was in the TLC divisions, illegally no doubt, the titan lessons were new to the course for officers and enlisted alike._

" _When in battle with an opposing force, you will be support for the Titan pilots of our military. They will direct you from their cockpit to areas they cannot access. Most likely these will be buildings or lower hanging areas. However, these titans are not infallible. In the event that the mechs are in danger of exploding or being captured, the pilot will activate a 'kill switch'. This kill switch will eject the pilot from the titan, and detonate the nuclear core of the titan. Allied units can and will be hurt in these explosions, as will enemy units. However, if the core does not detonate, it must be done remotely. As officers, you will have the permission to detonate the cores, and you will do so. The core will countdown from 15, and detonate." The instructor explained. "Now, onto how to integrate your squad into the combat role…"_

 **Present Day**

Gio ran towards the down titan, and grabbed the chassis. He reached into the hole he created, and dug around in it. His hand brushed something hot, and his built in Gieger counter went a little wild.

"Gotcha." He said, as he pulled out a small grey orb.

The titan nuclear core.

Gio wasted no time attaching it to his wrist via a magnetic pulse. "Rin, you gotta leave, now!"

Rin nodded, and flew out of the arena. Gio turned to the two remaining titans. They turned to him, and raised their cannons. Gio raised his 40mm, and fired off shots, as did the Knights. The Knights' shots bounced off Gio's shields, depleting them little by little. Gio's shots, however, did not bounce. His 40mm cannon, was upgraded to do much worse than the average shot. He had switched the shells to the smallest SABOT rounds in the world. The shots killed the regen shields of the Knights, and started taking chunks out of their armor. The two Knights started running towards Gio, while said pilot pressed a button on the titan core he was holding. The countdown started beeping. _15...14...13…_

Gio ran at the Knights. _12...11…_

The Knights raised their fists in a combat stance. Gio kept firing 40mm SABOT rounds, screaming as his shield now took the full brunt of the .90 caliber rounds. _10...9...8…_

The titans started to falter, so did Gio. _7...6...5…_

 **Viewing room**

"Ms. Orimura! Scans show an influx in radiation in the arena!" Ms. Yamada exclaimed.

Chifuyu was still fixed to the arena floor, watching an IS/Titan Hybrid fight off two of the mechs that were meant to destroy it. She was reading what info the world, save Hammond, had on the models, and had missed Gio taking the core. But she knew that all titans had a kill switch, a nuclear option…

" _NO!_ " She shouted, watching as Gio leapt up to ground pound the two titans. His right fist was glowing, and she heard him shout something along the lines of…

 **Arena floor, same time**

" _Fuck you!"_ Gio shouted as his fist exploded with the force of a supernova.

 **Viewing room**

The room glowed for a second, and then the shockwave hit. Chifuyu and everyone inside was thrown to the floor, the wall closest to the arena disintegrating as if it were paper.

Then...silence. The door was thrown open a second later, with rescue crews moving swiftly to evacuate the injured. With them, was Kanzashi Sarashiki, who moved towards Chifuyu immediately. While she wasn't hurt badly, Kanzashi did see some scratches that were bleeding lightly. A paramedic quickly took Chifuyu before Kanzashi could say anything, leaving the introverted pilot alone in the room. She looked around at the damage, wires frayed and sparking, display monitors cracked and destroyed, chairs broken into pieces. It was like a bomb went off.

Kanzashi then realized a bomb _had_ gone off, and she quickly ran to the new hole in the wall, which led directly to the arena floor. What she saw terrified her.

Gio was on one knee, his left hand holding him up. His right arm was totally gone, reduced to atoms. His IS was burnt and generally not in good shape. This wasn't what terrified Kanzashi, however.

In fact, it was that the arm was growing back that scared her. A flame had ignited on Gio's now stump of an arm, and was slowing rebuilding it new. Kanzashi stared, slightly in awe and mostly in shock, watching as the arm grew back and wondered what was going through Gio's head as this was happening.

… **..**

 _The way the Hammond Republic came into this world is tumultuous and violent. From what I've learned from my time in school, the nation was born through promise of survival and the reality of war. Hammond is, as many know, made up of multiple sectors of what used to be the Balkans Peninsula. When the IS was created, sometime around the late months of the year 2019, the nations of Serbia and Kosovo put aside their differences and united under one flag for defense, since they lacked the funding to build IS and lacked the military to fight them off. They were joined by Romania, Hungary, and Bulgaria, and became the Hammond Republic, united for defense. However, the nations of Macedonia, Greece, Bosnia and Heregozevonia, and Croatia disagreed. They valued their sovereignty, and thought the IS nations would never attack them. They felt threatened by Hammond, and each of them declared war on Hammond. They weren't united under any flag, and fought separately. They even fought each other, hoping for more land. The EU and the Big Three laughed, saying it was only natural we fought each other. Hammond and the others shrugged it off, it was only when we all denied outside help did they get upset._

 _Why was that so bad? We were fighting for our lives while they were looking to make money off our fight. They sent aid to Turkey, hoping they would jump in and fight to get someone to buy foreign 'aid'._

 _Turkey indeed attacked, and pushed through Greece. When the non-Hammond countries saw this, they quickly realized their assumptions were wrong. The big countries would attack us. So peace was made, and the region was united. The full force of the Balkans was then turned towards Turkey, and they were pushed out of Greece and lost the northern part of the isthmus that connected them to Europe._

 _Turkey never really forgave us for that, nor did the Big Three._

 _But why is this relevant? Well, since the Hammond Republic has been ahead in everything tech-wise, other countries have been trying to steal our technology, and have failed every time._

 _Well, maybe. Those three missing Knights appear in the only place where enemies could attack a pilot, whose was from a nation who the Big Three would like to see destroyed, it is hard to miss the scathing evidence and hard to ignore the possibility of this being an attack on Hammond and not the ISA._

 _But what do I know? I just punched a titan with a nuclear core, I'm not smart, right?_

 **Read and Review**

 **Sorry this one was short.**


	6. Episode 6-Interlude

_Data File 1002: Operation Europa's Shield_

 _Operation Europa's Shield is a military exercise created after Hammond became a recognized state. While the Hammond Republic is seen as an enemy to the European Union, the country participates in the exercise anyway. The exercise's premise is when a hostile power takes control of the Hammond Republic, and attacks the EU. Hammond has participated even as they grow stronger in military strength, requiring the nations participating to work on even more strategies to best and beat the new technology. Hammond hs refused to use Titans in the exercise, but doesn't hesitate to use Hybrid IS/Titans. The exercise got particularly heated after two Hammond army groups, one centered around the Hybrid models, 'punched' a hole through the updated Maginot Line, and when head to head with a French army group stationed in Paris. The ensuing 'battle' resulted in the loss of 90% of French IS models and the loss of France in the exercise. One fight in particular stood out to strategists, and that would be a fight between two defending EU IS models and a single Hammond Hybrid model, in which the EU models were defeated, but managed to severely damage the Hybrid with help from (REDACTED). Currently, the EU strategy taken from the exercise is to delay and defend, causing enough casualties to the Hammond Spearhead strategy in hopes of delaying attacks on the cities of Berlin, Paris, and Rome. The Hammond strategy has been Spearhead and Defend, which requires the Hammond forces to blitz through enemy lines while a stream of forces take hold of key positions in the aftermath to defend from counterattacks._

 **Infirmary, ISA**

Kanzashi stood in the medical room, watching over Chifuyu as she was being tested for any after effects of the incident that had just transpired. While the school hadn't seen what caused it, the noise and explosion from the arena was hard to miss. Everyone assumed something had gone wrong during the tournament, and an IS went haywire. However, now that Chifuyu was conscience, she told what had happened in the arena to Kanzashi, filling her in on the details.

"Ms. Orimura, the tests have shown no effects from the explosion. I would consider yourself very lucky." The doctor said, holding a tablet with the results on it. "If you were on the arena floor, we would be having a very different conversation."

Chifuyu only nodded, and got off the bed to leave the room. Kanzashi followed her, already knowing where they were going.

"I hope he isn't dead." Chifuyu mumbled. "I can't kill him if he's dead."

The pair turned the corner to see the surgery room viewing window. They looked down at the scene of the ongoing "surgery".

Surgery isn't the right word, more of a rescue attempt. The IS _Firestorm_ was in total lockdown mode, the user still trapped in the suit. Gio Inferno's eyes were closed, not by choice, but by force. The explosion had cauterized his eyes shut, and his mouth was the same. What was left of him was a burnt IS hull and a regenerated hand. The surgeons were working to remove the body from the suit, but were having no such luck.

"Amazing he survived that." Kanzashi mumbled, looking at the monitor displaying his vitals. He was in a medically induced coma.

"Will he look or speak again?" Chifuyu asked. "Cause he has a lot of explaining to do."

A doctor walked in, with a clipboard. "I can answer that question. He'll make a full recovery, and be okay in about four days."

Kanzashi whirled around at the doctor. "How is that possible? His face is basically melted shut, and he's been burnt into the hull of his IS! He's part of the damn thing, and not to mention the radiation from the blast! Ms. Orimura-!"

Chifuyu put her hand up, quieting Kanzashi. "Thank you, doctor. I expect to see him soon-"

There was a commotion down on the surgery floor, and all three turned to see what was going on.

Gio's body was moving inside the IS, which should have been impossible due to his current state, and was making noises that were muffled by his mouth being melted shut. Surgeons quickly backed away from the Hybrid IS/Titan.

"My god…" Was all the doctor could say as Gio combust into flames. His IS let go of his body and deactivated, leaving a flaming body on the ground.

 **(Warning, gore and disturbing image inducing literature ahead)**

Gio got onto his knees, tore at where his mouth should have been, and ripped open a hole, letting out a guttural scream as the melted skin around where his eyes should have been began to glow and expand, exploding into flames, burning away the flesh, and dying out, revealing teal eyes. Gio's body, which was still covered in flames, started regenerating new skin, burning away the melted, charred, and radioactive skin and making it good as new. The area around his mouth healed to look normal again, and his face was fixed immediately. The fire began to die out as Gio got to his feet.

 **(Scene over, you may now stop cringing)**

"Ms. Orimura…" Kanzashi started. "What is he?"

Chifuyu was silent, the doctor was furiously scribbling notes down, and the surgeons were shocked to silence.

Gio looked around, seemingly unfazed by what just happened, which is weird since it happened to _him_. "I'm okay, I'm okay." He looked at his arm that had been vaporized then quickly regenerated. "Yeah, I'm okay." Then passed out.

"He should be dead, he should be dead twice over." The doctor said aloud. "The radiation alone was higher than Chernobyl for a good two milliseconds...he should be dead…"

Chifuyu only nodded. "The number times he should be dead far outnumber my wins, doctor. I'm sure you've seen the unclassified parts of his file, correct?"

The doctor only nodded. "I understand then. He should be free by tonight."

Chifuyu turned to Kanzashi. "Sarashiki, I have an important mission for you. One your sister would fail to complete no matter how hard she tried."

Kanzashi turned to Chifuyu. "What would the mission be?" She asked, timid that she was being given a mission that even her sister would fail at.

"You need to monitor the Hammond Pilot."

 **Classroom 1-1, the next day**

The class was unusually silent. Talk was replaced with short and quiet whispers, while others stared blankly forward.

Considering what happened and what could've happened, their reactions were justifiable. An attack on the ISA was not impossible, the technology and people housed on campus made it a serious target for terrorists.

But when Hammond Titans, one of the most classified and deadliest military assets in the world, go missing and suddenly appear right in your face no longer controlled by their original operators, scared doesn't begin to cover it. With the Titan, being face to face with one in combat essentially spelled defeat for any of the students in the ISA, being face to face as a non-combative is worse, being in the crossfire is a death sentence.

Three in one area is a genocide order, and the student's of 1-1 and 1-4 may have been the targets.

Chifuyu walked into the classroom, and the class lightened up a bit, but also stood rigid, waiting for what the teacher would say.

"Well class, it seems like the tournament is more or less a wash. The first round will go on, but every match in the second round and beyond is canceled."

The class groaned, upset at the fact that they wouldn't be able to show off their (read: Gio's) superiority to the other first year classes.

"However, in light of recent events, Gio has been crowned the best first year pilot." Chifuyu continued.

Cecilia raised her hand. "How come? He didn't beat class 1-4's representative."

Chifuyu nodded. "True, but he had her on the ropes _and_ defeated three advanced model Titans. Show me a first year who can do the same and we can have them fight. Though I doubt Hammond will let you destroy three more MT-2s for that reason."

Cecilia nodded, understanding immediately. Houki raised her hand next. "How did Gio defeat the Titan?"

Chifuyu stared, wondering if she should tell her, and decided no harm no foul. "He stole a nuclear core from a destroyed MT-2, and, putting it lightly, punched the other two with it, destroying the three Titans and any evidence of them completely. As of this point in time, he is still unconscious."

"How is he even alive?!" Cecilia shouted. "A titan nuclear explosion is lethal to everything within a 25 meter radius! And he wasn't even 30 _millimeters_ from the explosion, and he just _passes out?_ "

The rest of the class was muttering about the same thing. How did he do that?

However, before anyone could say anything else, Ms. Yamada stepped into the room. She steps behind her desk, and clears her throat. "Attention class, today we have a transfer student who will be joining our class!"

The class immediately perked up, interested at who it could be. The excited muttering started to reach a crescendo when a blonde hair, purple eyes, and wearing a male uniform-

…

…

...Wait a second.

The class, for what might've been the second time in two days, was in shock.

"Hello, my name is Charles Dunois, and I am a male IS pilot." The boy announced, his voice carrying a french accent. "I came here because I heard there was a boy in the same situation as me."

Ichika stood up. "Nice to meet you, Charles. My name is Ichika Orimura, and I guess I'm the person you were just talking about."

 **Arena 6, where the tournament fight took place**

Gio walked onto the arena floor, his eyes sweeping the destruction that was present. While Chifuyu had said that Gio was unconscious, he had been awoken around noon by something. Someone had entered his dorm room, then left after Gio started looking around. So Gio had shrugged it off, changed, and went to see how much he could salvage from the destruction he caused.

While walking towards the central explosion point, he saw that there was a multitude of small scrap pieces around, too small to be noticeable to the untrained and naked eye. However, Gio's TCC picked them out immediately against the black explosive residue. Gio partially summoned his IS on his right arm, and had it collect the pieces lying around. His eyes scanned the rest of the arena, finding little to nothing else. He sighed, of course the pieces he needed from those Titans were destroyed.

Gio was upset that he couldn't find the operation recorder that was in every Titan, but it was his fault that they were destroyed. He returned to the nearby arena garage, hoping he got something valuable from the salvage he picked up.

When he summoned his mech in full form, it was in a hunkered position, similar to when an Ogre Titan hit the ground during a titanfall. Gio noticed the chips in _Firestorm_ , multiple scratches marred the IS Hybrid, some wide enough to expose wiring. Gio grimaced, and got to work replacing the metal. His storage device on the mech was still holding the salvage from the fight, while a computer tried to sort out what exactly it was.

Gio put the final finishing touches on the mech when it chimed, signalling it had deciphered what the salvage was. He pulled up a screen, and his face, for the first time in a while, showed a smile. He pulled up another screen, and separated the salvaged pieces. One was a sonar/radar upgrade, a nice 2 for 1 package. The other was a weapon, which Gio put on the shoulder that wasn't occupied by the Trebuchet.

Gio quickly summoned his Hybrid, and turned around with a P2016 Hammond pistol in hand aimed at the person who was sneaking up on him.

 **With Kanzashi, a little earlier**

Kanzashi walked towards Arena 6, tailing the person Chifuyu told her to. She was slightly surprised when she was told to keep an eye on Inferno, but figured she would have to eventually. Besides Ichika, and to some extent Houki, she had the most experience with the Hammond Pilot, especially with his combat prowess. She made sure not to be spotted, but found it quite easy to do so. Inferno wasn't even paying attention to her. He could've spotted her this morning, but he was slow to return from his unconscious state. But nonetheless, she had gotten away.

Now, entering the arena, she saw Inferno partially summon his mech. The arm scanned the floor, picking up small bits of salvage that the clean up crew had missed. It was odd to Kanzashi, since the cleaning crew had the same tech Inferno had.

"How is he finding these pieces?" She whispered. "What is he finding?"

She retreated to the shadows when she saw Inferno walking back to the garages. She followed, supposedly not noticed. She was Inferno pull out the Hybrid, the tall and hulking mech that was one of the best, if not the best IS in the world, despite not being a total IS. She noticed the scratches the same time he did. Kanzashi watched as Inferno fixed the mech, replacing metal and fixing wires. She watched as he installed something from his screen, and narrowed her eyes when he smiled.

That smile...it seemed familiar. She crept closer, trying to get a view at what Inferno was smiling at. She watched as he placed whatever it was on the unoccupied shoulder. It appeared in real space, and she gasped silently.

In an instant, the IS Hybrid disappeared and Inferno whirled around to face Kanzashi, a firearm in hand. "Bold of you to sneak up on me, Sarashiki. The last person who did that died rather horribly."

Kanzashi could only stare, and realized why the smile was familiar. "Storyuski Manor."

 _ **Storyuski Manor, around two years ago**_

 _Kanzashi sat at a round table in a room vaguely familiar to the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles, while other people at the table conversed about small things. She wished she knew what they were talking about._

 _The Sarashiki organization was built around the original Sarashiki family, and was created to fight to fight terrorist organizations, specifically those who had access to IS models. The majority of the time, it was only one organization they targeted. But today, it would change, but no one as aware of it._

 _Tatenashi, the one before the present one, stood up to begin the meeting. But before she could speak, a nearby window shattered, and the same second her body was impaled with a harpoon._

 _Everyone quickly summoned their IS suits, only to see the other windows around them break. They were broken by soldiers piloting a black IS, with a shield on the left hand and a laser weapon on the right. The torso was a metal harness, with plane wings on the back and jets near the small of the pilot's back. These were the_ Steppenwolfe _mass creation model IS, created by a joint Russian-Hammond research project. Hammond produced them, and sold them as one of their few exports. They were fast, with moderate armor and shielding._

 _Kanzashi ducked under the table, as a fight ensued. Gunfire erupted from outside as IS suits traded blows, lasers, and bullets. Kanzashi was suddenly picked up, and taken outside by someone, she couldn't remember who, and taken out of the conference room. She was carried through a hallway and out to a helipad. She saw her sister there, too. She was being talked to by someone from the higher ups, who was probably telling her about her duties as the next Tatenashi title holder. Her sister, now Tatenashi, nodded, and grabbed Kanzashi's hand. Kanzashi turned around to see the person who took her out of the room and the other higher up pull out AK-47s, and fired at something, until it burst into view. The bullets bounced off the metal frame of a much larger IS. It's right hand ignited, and incinerated the two. Kanzashi looked at the pilot, but only could see the bottom part of the face. The rest was covered by a helmet, and all she saw was a smile._

 **Present Day**

Kanzashi lunged at Gio, forgetting about what he had in his hand. Gio simply pulled the trigger, the sound stopping Kanzashi in her tracks, and causing her to fall to her knees.

"Operation Tundra, took place at Storyuski Manor. The manor was the supposed headquarters of the Sarashiki organization, and was attacked on orders from the highest echelons of the Hammond Military." Gio stated. "Let me guess, you were on that helicopter when I killed those two soldiers?"

Kanzashi nodded, her ears still ringing slightly from the gunshot.

Gio sighed, almost like he had explained this before. "There is some clarification on that, actually."

Kanzashi narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?"

"As Ms. Orimura probably told you already, I am a child soldier from Hammond. By choice, of course, and fought illegally for my country. When I was found out, my punishment was...unusual." Gio explained.

 _ **Before the attack on Storyuski**_

 _The pilots of the_ Steppenwolfe's _looked on at a horrifying sight. A TLC soldier was brought in, his wrists bound by electrical chains. They listened in on a conversation between the soldier and the handler with him._

" _For your crimes against Hammond, you will be participating in the attack on the Storyuski Manor. You will wear this helmet, which is to hide your identity, and it will monitor you. If you falter, it will inject a stimulant into your body. If you die, then that will be your punishment, but to live without punishment after this operation, you must cause at least 50 percent of the casualties, failure to do so will result in jail time, then immediate service in a penal company on the frontlines. Understood?" The commissar announced. The pilot nodded, and took the helmet from his hands. The criminal put it on and, to the surprise of the pilots, summoned an IS/Titan Hybrid. It gleamed black and was basically a Ronin model with a jetpack and the pilot hatch cut away. The pilot grabbed a harpoon off of his back and powerfully threw it at the manor._

 **Present day**

"So you were forced to kill, and stimulated if you started to fail?" Kanzashi asked. "Just because you fought for your country illegally?"

"Yes, that is a summary of it." Gio answered. "I didn't want to kill anyone...but it was literally me or them."

"That's insane!"

"That's Hammond for you."

Kanzashi's face lightened slightly, her scowl lessening. "I don't think I can really forgive you, you know that right?"

"I don't expect you to. I did attack your organization, and killed people."

"Well, you weren't targeting me, right?"

"My job was to kill people, but I remember you solely because I didn't want to kill you."

Kanzashi tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

Gio sat down with Kanzashi. "It goes without saying that the current Tatenashi was trained before she was given the title. I am only aware of that from intelligence and experience."

"What?"

"Intelligence reports that the current Tatenashi had launched attacks on Hammond outposts during the Middle Eastern War. This was her training, and she did it rather well, but at a cost."

"What do you mean?"

"She would never leave unscathed, she would be left with major damage to herself and her IS. I should know about one of those missions, because I was at one of them."

Kanzashi's eyes widened. "What?"

"Yes, I even damaged her armor on her left arm. Regardless, she destroyed my base anyway."

"Wait, so what does that mean for me?"

"It means my target was your sister, but since you were with her I couldn't attack lest I risk unnecessary casualties."

"I don't really know how I feel about that." Kanzashi admitted. "Does that mean she used me as a shield?"

"Involuntarily, I don't think she meant to." Gio answered. "It was most likely out of love for you and fear of me."

Kanzashi nodded, understanding what he meant.

"Regardless, for a Representative Contender, you lack a personal IS." Gio said. "Enlighten me on that, will you?"

"..I was supposed to get one, but it was given to me unfinished when Orimura was discovered to be able to pilot IS." Kanzashi explained. "I've been working on it this entire time."

"Would you like help?" Gio asked. "I could be of assistance."

Kanzashi pondered that idea. Wondering if it was such a good idea. "I guess, the model itself is ready, but I need help getting the weapons hooked up on it."

"That's an easy one. Let's get to work."

 **A little bit longer this time, and a little bit of exposition. Next...more with Ichika and Charles...and a certain silver haired german.**


	7. Episode 7-Cause and Effect

**Well, things are 'heating up'.**

 _Data File 0233: Germany-Hammond Republic Relations_

 _When Hammond was created, many nations applauded the people who had done what was supposedly impossible. The Balkans had not been united, the closest thing was Yugoslavia under Tito. The Hammond Republic had united not just the old Yugoslavic countries, but also the surrounding Balkan states under one flag. With sovereignty came threats from more powerful countries, and the EU tried to force the Hammond Republic into their hold. When this started, Hammond quickly appealed to Germany for protection. Germany was able to convince the EU to leave Hammond alone, and this event was where politicians point to as the beginning of one of the most respectful political relationships in the world, second to the US and Japan's. Germany is one of two friendly nations to Hammond, the other being Russia. Germany is allowed to conduct military exercises with Hammond, as well as get a small look at the Hammond Military technology. There is documentation of German soldiers firing Hammond infantry weaponry, and video of a German IS pilot fighting a Hammond pilot. When the Middle Eastern War broke out, Germany was told by Hammond to stay out of it because, quote. "We don't want to drag your country down to our hell." At Germany's demands, Hammond stopped the war when the Big Three started making threats and moving soldiers towards Hammond lines. The relationship wasn't tarnished with this, and has actually been strengthened. Multiple times, other countries have pressured Germany to spill secrets. Everytime, these countries are quieted by Hammond going into, basically, red alert and start pulling all diplomats, which is a step towards war with said country._

 **Classroom 1-1**

Ichika and Charles were having a small conversation in the classroom when Ms. Yamada entered the room, quieting everyone down.

"Class, today we're having another transfer student join us!"

The class started mumbling again, hoping it was another boy. To their surprise, a platinum haired girl walked into the classroom.

"My name is Laura Bodewig, and that is all." The girl said.

The class stared, waiting for more from the girl. "Anything else?" Ms. Yamada asked nervously.  
" _Nein_."

"Okay then."

Laura eyed each of the students in the class, and her gaze fell on one Ichika Orimura. She walked over to him. "You.."

And promptly slapped him, evoking a gasp from the entire class.

"I will never accept you as her brother!" She exclaimed, while Ichika nursed the bruise.

Gio, who wasn't present for the event, walked into the classroom. "Sorry I'm late, I was helping fix something-Laura!?"

Laura turned, facing Gio. "Pilot _Soldat_!" She shouted, running to be right in front of him. "What are you doing here?"

"I go to school here! What are you doing here? Did Germany send you here?" Gio asked.

"They did!"

"Why? Last time I checked you could almost stand toe to toe to me." Gio remarked, getting another gasp from the class.

"This german can do what?!" Cecilia shrieked.

"Yeah. Compared to all of you, Laura is basically a whole tier above." Gio answered. "And why is it when anything happens, you shriek?"

"I-I don't know."

Gio turned back to Laura. "So, Germany sent you here why?"

"ISA requires all Representative Contenders to come here. Also, my instructor is here." Laura answered.

"Instructor?" Gio asked.

Chifuyu walked into the class at this point. "Bodewig? What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you, instructor. I've run into a friend from my time in the military, and your...brother." Laura answered, a little shaky with the last part.

"I see. Go take your seat then, you may speak with them more later. I'm sure Inferno can tell you the story of him defeating three MT-2s." Chifuyu said, leaving Laura to turn to Gio with her stars in her eyes. Gio patted her shoulder, and pointed to her seat.

 **Later that day, on the rooftop**

Gio and Laura were hanging out on the rooftop. Gio was leaning against the railing, while Laura faced him. "I'm just saying you could go easier on Ichika. He hasn't done anything terribly wrong."

"He is weak. He is unworthy of being Instructor's sibling." Laura explained.

"But he was young when it happened!"

"I was young when I started training, he has no excuse."

Gio winced, he couldn't really argue against that. "At least you see gender equality. I guess you win."

Laura beamed.

"Though, is it possible that he can prove himself to you?" Gio asked. "Could he prove that he is strong?"

"He could...I think I would approve of him if he could." Laura answered, sounding a bit unsure. "If he could beat me, that would do it."

"Well, he is being trained by the British, Chinese, and French Representative Contenders. And the sister of Dr. Shinonono. He might stand a chance."

Laura narrowed her eyes.

"I said might." Gio quickly said. "I haven't met the French Representative Contender, but the other two are head over heels for Ichika, so is Shinonono."

"Um...what…?" Laura deadpanned.

"I don't know either…" Gio sighed. "I gotta go meet up with someone from class 1-4, you want to come with?"

 **Ichika and Gio's Dorm**

Ichika was setting up the futon on the floor, while Charles unpacked his stuff from his suitcase. Gio had called them, saying he was going to do some work with someone on their IS.

Ichika finished setting up the futon. "Alright Charles, I'm done here. How 'bout you?"

"All set up here, Ichika." Charles answered, finishing putting his stuff into the drawers. "Any idea why all three of us are stuck in this room together?"

"Cause we're all dudes. We can't be in the same rooms as the girls." Ichika calmly responded. " _I wouldn't want to be in the same room as them anyway. They're all too crazy!_ " He silently said to himself.

"What was that?"

"Nothing!" Ichika quickly said. "So...how's the shower gonna work?"

"What do you mean?" Charles asked.

"Well, Gio and I alternate who goes first. But now you're here, what's the plan now?"

"I say just have a rotation. Who was first last night?" Charles asked.

"I was."

"So then Inferno-"

"Gio."

"-will go first tonight, then me second, then you third. Then tomorrow will be me, you, Inferno."

"Charles, you can call him Gio. I don't think he'll mind." Ichika stated. "I've only heard Chi-Ms. Orimura call him Inferno. Well, her and the new girl."

"Well, Inferno and I have crossed paths before." Charles answered. "We were both part of Operation Europa's Shield."

"The big military exercise? The only exercise that Hammond is allowed to participate in?" Ichika asked. "I wasn't aware that Gio could participate in it."

"I didn't either. I saw him on the Hammond Republic IS Pilot roster. Then I saw Inferno on the class roster and I recognized it." Charles explained. "I fought him myself, though I don't think he recognizes me now."

"Well, it's strange he didn't tell me about another male pilot in the world." Ichika said nonchalantly. "Makes me wonder if there are more in the world."

"Hahaha...yeah…" Charles trailed off.

 **Arena 6, Hangar 14**

"Kanzashi! I'm here and I brought a friend!" Gio shouted, with Laura walking behind him. In front of the two was an empty hangar.

Kanzashi suddenly ran up from behind the pair. "Sorry! I had to help the teacher with something." Kanzashi quickly explained. She turned to Laura, and moved towards Gio responsively. "W-who are you?" She asked, suddenly very nervous.

"My name is Laura Bodewig, a friend and comrade of _Soldat_ 's." Laura answered. "You must be the Japanese Representative Contender, Kanzashi Sarashiki?"

"Yes…" She answered, gripping Gio's sleeve while hiding behind him. "Why do you call him...um...what was it? Soltad?"

" _Soldat_. It's german for soldier." Gio explained. "Laura never uses my name in casual conversation, since we are both military soldiers. She just calls me _soldat_ , but in battle she'll use my first name."

"So...you t-two ae first name basis as well." Kanzashi muttered. "Are you two...close?"

"Well, we are friends. I have comrades, but I have no one I regularly "hang out" with." Laura answered, air quoting. "I would say he is the only person I am close with outside of Instructor and my company."

"...okay."

Gio clapped his hands together. "Alright, I say we get to work. Kanzashi, if you would."

Kanzashi nodded, and touched her hairpins. They glowed, then disappeared. Her IS appeared, and it was different from what it was before.

Before, the IS was a _Uchiigane_ with some modifications. Now, the IS was totally changed. With Gio's knowledge of building and Kanzashi's coding skills, the IS was upgraded to the point it was almost a hybrid model. The IS was also fit with a smaller version of the Hammond Hybrid shielding system. Gio had tried to make a full system from his own, but lacked the parts to do so.

Of course, the Hammond Republic refused to help him. His contact told him that the parts manufacturing company, which was subsidized by the government, refused to ship part due to them being categorized as "Classified-Top Priority".

So Kanzashi's IS, it was a _Raphael Revive_ with the shield pierce replaced by a double barrelled 40mm cannon on the left wrist. It also came with a XO-16 Chaingun on the back. The right hand had a retractable wrist blade, and the IS was painted grey, with some white coloring in the background. The left shoulder had a triple barrelled gatling brought up the stats for Laura.

 _IS: Raphael Revive (Mod.)_

 _Name: Paradise_

 _Weapons: XO-16, Double 40mm Cannon, Wrist Blade, Gatling Cannon_

 _Defensive Specifications: Particle Wall_

 _Shield: 1000 Rechargeable, 10K Regular_

"Its seems you were able to rig something up for your friend here." Laura said. "It seems it is better than my own, with Hammond having their ISs armed with anti-IS weaponry. Is it wise that someone outside of them has this power?"

"Laura, your railgun was a gift from me for you birthday. That railgun is literally one of the first Trebuchet railguns in existence." Gio stated. "I think some lighter weapons will be okay for here."

"Hmm...I see your point." Laura said, ceding her point.

"Well, the gatling cannon is somewhat...questionable." Kanzashi mentioned. "You literally re-assembled it from the scant remains of three MT-2s."

"I still have not been told the story, what happened?" Laura asked. "Did-"

"ANYWAY, I need to make sure the gatling cannon is working. Considering I pulled it off my IS and gave it to you, there could be problems with it syncing it to _Paradise_." Gio said, walking over to the model.

Kanzashi watched him go. "You can't hide your feelings very well, Sarashiki." Laura said, jolting Kanzashi out of her thoughts.

"W-what do you m-mean?" Kanzashi stuttered, blushing.

"You like _Soldat_."

"I-I do not! He attacked my family! He was going to kill my sister!"

"Yes, I am aware of the story. But he was only doing his job to protect himself."

"That's selfish!"

"That's war. It's either you or someone else, feeling selfish is the last thing on anyone's mind." Laura calmly stated. "He hasn't hurt you, has he?"

"Well...he seems to stop whenever it's just me and him. He doesn't even see me as an enemy, considering what my sister has done to him." Kanzashi answered. "He even is helping me right now! How-why is he doing this?"

"I think this is his way of apologizing. _Soldat_ is many things, but he does have feelings. It may seem he doesn't, but deep down he is sorry for what happened at Storyuski." Laura said. " _Soldat_ spent a whole night at a bar on the anniversary of the attack, crying and drinking himself till I carried him to his bed. He was asleep by then, but it was obvious he feels terrible about it."

"He-what…?" Kanzashi asked, caught totally off guard. "He's sorry?"

"He didn't want to say, he feels it may…'set you off'. Kinda like right now." Laura said, as Kanzashi turned away from her and made her way to Gio.

Gio heard footsteps, and turned to see Kanzashi right up in his face. "Er...hi?"

"...why are you doing all this?" She asked, with Laura walking towards the two to hear the conversation.

"I-"

"Do you really feel bad about what happened at Storyuski?" She asked. "Are you doing this to make it up for what you did there?"

Gio stayed silent, and stayed that way for a while. He looked at the ground, and sighed. "I don't really know. I'd like to think that's the reason…"

"Inferno...I already know why you did what you did at Storyuski…" She started.

" _And that doesn't excuse what happened!_ " He shouted, looking up to face Kanzashi. " _I killed your friends! Your family!_ "

Kanzashi's face darkened. "And that's suddenly different from what happened in the Middle East? Where you _did the exact same thing!?_ " She was shouting now. " _What makes my family different from the others you've ruined!?_ "

" _I don't know!_ "

" _Figure it out, Inferno! Do you feel sorry for me!? That's it, isn't it?!_ "

" _WELL WHAT ELSE AM I SUPPOSED TO FEEL FOR YOU!?_ " He shouted, and Kanzashi suddenly stopped shouting. "I killed people you knew, and tried to kill your sister! My country forced-no. I caused unnecessary anguish to you and whoever's left!"

"...that may be so…" Kanzashi mumbled.

Gio put his head back down, and walked past Kanzashi and towards the door. Laura followed him, her face worried. Gio stopped at the door. "The weapon is calibrated, and it should work fine." He said. "Goodbye…" And with that, left the hangar.

Laura turned to look at Kanzashi. "I'll...try to fix him."

Kanzashi only nodded, turning back to look at _Paradise_ , ignoring Laura as the silver haired girl left the hangar as well. Kanzashi looked at the mech, suddenly noticing the mech was taller than the average IS, by two feet. The same height as Gio's.

"He…" She mumbled. "He wanted me to fight alongside him." She walked up to the mech, and touched the metal. "He didn't just feel sorry for me...he-"

"He wanted you to be his equal." A voice said.

Kanzashi whirled around, seeing Chifuyu in the hangar doorway. "I heard everything. Honestly, I half expected for him to go into his second IS form. Glad to see it wasn't the case."

"B-but he-I-what is going on?" Kanzashi asked, totally confused.

"Inferno is a lot of things. He is a child soldier and a killer, as well as a suicidal maniac if the tournament is anything to go by. But he isn't emotional, and refrains from yelling at people directly. So...what did he do?" Chifuyu asked.

"He...he was helping me get a working IS. Originally, he was only going to provide me help on my weapons."

"But?"

"Well…"

 _ **Yesterday**_

" _This is your IS?" Gio asked._

" _Yeah, I built it myself." Kanzashi said. "W-what do you think of it?"_

" _I think I need to step in for more than just weapons."_

 **Present Day**

"..and now I have a fully modified _Raphael Revive_ named _Paradise_." Kanzashi finished.

"I see." Chifuyu said, walking up to the IS. "It seems it has some Hammond tech in it. Shields and weapons, he gave you the full package."

"Really?"

"Well, no. The full package is him giving you a Hybrid IS straight from the production lines. But this is pretty close." Chifuyu stated. "You know, he did a lot for you here."

"I knew he stayed up a whole night to work, and I came back the next day to see he had totally changed the _Uchigane_ I was working on." Kanzashi said. "What exactly did he do?"

Chifuyu brought up the info screen, and read through the details. "I could tell you everything he did, but we would be here longer than he was explaining it. In short, he took a Gen-2 Mass Produced IS and made it better than probably an Gen-3 possibly could be. It might outrank your sister's, and I don't mean shield points-wise."

Kanzashi's eyes widened. "So he-"

"Made an IS that could stand toe to toe with him. Amazing what he can do, isn't it?" Chifuyu smirked. "I would apologize to him tomorrow. Not right now, since he is probably too riled up to think straight right now."

Kanzashi nodded, suddenly very sorry about what she did.

 **With Gio and Laura**

"I can't believe this. I try to do one good thing for someone and I get crucified for it. Is it really so bad that I feel sorry for her?" Gio asked, walking back to the dorm rooms.

"I don't think it is." Laura answered. "But I think that you're wrong."

"I'm wrong? How so, Laura? How am I wrong for trying to do something good for someone, and they yell at me for it?"

"For starters, you yelled first."

Gio slumped at that. "You make a good point…"

"And I know you don't feel sorry for her. At least, that's not the only emotion you have for her." Laura continued.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You didn't fix that IS, nor volunteer to help her just because you felt sorry or the need to help her because you have ruined her life previously."

Gio looked at the short german girl. "Then pray tell, Laura."

"You wanted her to be your equal, _soldat_." Laura stated. "You felt sorry she couldn't defend herself, so you decided to help her become able to fight her own fights."

Gio stayed silent. He didn't stop walking, not even when Laura walked ahead of him. He only did so when she got in front of him. "Laura…"

" _Soldat_ , I won't pretend to think I know what is happening inside that head of yours. But, I know you did what you did for a reason." Laura firmly stated. "You want to help this girl, not be sorry for her."

Gio, for the umpteenth time that night, sighed, but smiled. "Guess I'm still transparent to you, huh?"

Laura smiled. "Yes, you still are. I still remember that soldier I met on the field, fighting against french IS pilots. I remember that smile, as I helped take them down with you."

"You know that's still classified in the Hammond Military, right? That you helped me?" Gio answered.

"Perhaps. But I do know you still owe me a reward." Laura said. She took hold of Gio's hand. "I don't know much about subjects outside of the military, but I know a little about 'one time' things."

"Laura, I don't think that's a good idea-"

She was already pulling him away. "One night won't hurt anybody. Hurry up now, my room is far from this entrance."

 **Ichika, Gio, and Charles's room**

"Gio just texted me. _Not coming back, got some work to do_. Strange, must be still working hard then." Ichika said. "Charles, looks like you get the bed after all."

"Umm…" The Frenchman started.

"Gio washed his sheets this morning, so relax and get comfortable." Ichika reassured him. "Just don't...y'know."

"No, I don't know."

"Oh. Well, good night." With that, Ichika turned off the lights. Everyone in the dorms was asleep.

Save two people.

 **Read and Review**


	8. Episode 8-Aloof

_Data File 0297: Nashorn Missile System_

 _The Unguided Missile System No. 208 (UMS-208), designated "Nashorn" is a multiple missile launching system developed by Underline Defense. Developed as an anti-tank kit for the Titan mechs, it carries 4 30cm rockets that can fly up to 120 mph. It has the ability to pierce all armor, including the Paladin tanks. These rockets are usually mounted on the shoulders of Titans, but during the Middle Eastern War, unconfirmed reports were brought to light with images of Ogre Titans wielding four launchers on each wrist, including the two on each shoulder. Hammond has denied such reports. The missiles themselves are deadly to IS Pilots, with reports of Hammond Hybrids engaging DPRK IS models and destroying both IS and Pilot with these missiles. The UN has called for Hammond to disarm them from their Hybrids, but this has been largely ignored by both the populace and the government of Hammond._

 **Dorm rooms, day after chapter 7**

Gio opened his eyes slowly, wondering why he felt such a heavy pressure on his chest. He assumed he wasn't having a heart attack, since he was 17 and very healthy, so either someone was in his bed or gravity had decided to fuck with him. Gio threw off his covers, and looked down at the sleeping figure of Laura Bodewig, who was lying on his chest.

"Oh shit." He mumbled. "This is going to end swimmingly."

There was a knock on the door, and Gio realized he wasn't in his own room. He also realized he smelt like...an eventful and sleepless night.

"Laura? Are you awake?" A voice asked.

 **Later that day, Classroom 1-1**

"So what you're telling me is that you slept with Inferno?" Chifuyu asked Laura, who was now dressed. "May I ask why?"

"He owed me for that one time during Operation Europa's Shield where I saved him." Laura answered. "So I wanted to experience what is called a 'first time' with him."

"Hm...Inferno, what do you think of all of this?" Chifuyu asked.

Gio didn't respond verbally, since he was rope tied and duct taped gagged. He nodded, validating Laura's story.

"I expected this to happen, so why am I disappointed still?" Chifuyu sighed.

"Because you wanted it to not happen." Gio said, standing next to her while leisurely swinging the rope that had tied him up. "By the way, you all suck at tying people up."

"How did you get untied?!" Houki shouted.

"Easy, you all tied me like I was unconscious and not expected to wake up. Lemme guess, Ichika couldn't understand the orders you were giving him." Gio stated.

Ichika hid the extra rope he was holding behind his back.

"Bingo."

Laura went back to her seat, while Gio threw his rope back to Ichika. Chifuyu gave up on questioning any further, since it would be pointless to assume he would do the same thing again. No one was as close to him as Laura was. Though, Gio needed to be brought down a peg. His blatant disrespect needed to be replaced with obedience

And Chifuyu had a perfect idea.

 **Outside, training field**

After a brief lesson on basic IS movement, the class of 1-1 was told to go outside. Gio was, once again, waiting on the training field already in his IS. Unlike last time, he had been told to get into his IS by Chifuyu. He had intended to work on _Firestorm_ a little more, but he lacked time since his past week had been filled up with helping Kanzashi.

"Inferno, do you know why you're in your IS?" Chifuyu asked.

"Well...it probably has to do with me sleeping with a student. So, are you fighting me or what?" Gio answered and asked flatly.

"No, but she is." Chifuyu answered, pointing up at the sky. There was a small gleam, and then something rapidly falling from the sky.

"Oh my, is that Ms. Yamada?" Gio asked, watching the figure get closer and closer, until the Identified Flying Object slammed into the ground, where Ichika was standing.

"Ah crap, Ichika's dead." Gio said, peering into the crater. "You okay?" He shouted.

"Hrngh." Ichika grunted, trapped under Ms. Yamada and the modified _Raphael Revive_ she was using.

"I'm fighting her? So you're finally giving me a challenge?" Gio asked, his face reflecting his flat tone as he turned back to face Chifuyu.

"I debated it, but I figured you needed to learn your place and remember what respect is." Chifuyu answered, grinning. "Hope you're ready."

"Ichika, not there!" A voice cried from the crater.

"You should get that checked, before Ms. Yamada becomes your sister in law." Gio stated. "I hope she's ready."

Ms. Yamada flew out of the crater, in a battle stance. "Right, now onto the lesson for today. Hope you're ready, Inferno!"

"Begin!" Chifuyu shouted.

Yamada charged at Gio, only for his Trebuchet to aim at her and fire. The armor of the _Revive_ was blown off and Yamada was blown backwards and landed on her back.

The class stared at the scene. Ichika was being helped out of the crater by Charles, and both had seen the end of the "fight".

"Dunois! Analysis!" Chifuyu shouted, her face not reflecting what just happened was the exact _opposite_ of what she wanted.

"Well, it was one sided." Dunois answered curtly.

"Be more exact."

"It seems Ms. Yamada was unaware of the fact that Trebuchet cannons are always charging when they are in our dimension, except when they are firing. Inferno got out here to the field first and you made him summon his IS right when he got out here. This means his Trebuchet was charging from the second his IS came into real-space to the time he fired at Ms. Yamada. A Trebuchet is at full power after twenty three _seconds_ , and it doesn't have an overcharge limit." Charles explained.

"So?" Ichika asked, voicing everyone's question.

"Inferno's Trebuchet was overcharging the entire time he was waiting out here for us to finish changing, get into formation, and for Ms. Yamada to arrive. In total, he overcharged for around 10 minutes."

"So it was powerful?"

"A two minute charge has been known to disintegrate an IS core regardless of shield level and go _straight_ through a pilot, killing them instantly."

It took everyone a second to realize Gio could've killed the teacher almost _eight_ minutes ago, and could've wiped her off the face of the earth just now with one shot.

"You're telling me," Ms. Yamada said as she got up. "That Inferno _held back?!_ "

"Yes, any excess charge is immediately redirected to the shields. So right now, Inferno's shield count is overcharged." Dunois finished. "What are you at right now?"  
Gio looked at his shield count. "My max is 22k points, but I'm sitting at 30k now."

" _How is your IS handling that?!_ " Houki shouted.

"You see, there is no good _answer_ to that question. In fact, there's only one. _No one knows_." Gio answered. "At least, no one in Hammond knows. But since no one outside of Hammond knows about our IS tech, they wouldn't know why our IS mechs can handle overcharge."

"He makes a good point." Ichika stated.

"So...my guess is I'm going to clean this up?" Gio asked, gesturing to the armor pieces now just lying all around.

"No, now you and the other personal IS users will teach the others about basic IS movement using your ISs. Class, divide into five groups, then order yourself based on attendance order!" Chifuyu ordered.

The class did as they were told, and evenly divided themselves up into five groups. Gio looked to see a group of five scared students lined up to use his IS.

"Okay! So...you all have gotten the rundown from the teacher, so I won't reinvent the wheel. Get in, and I'll fix you from there. Who's first?" Gio started.

A girl with light blonde hair and fair complexion walked up to him. "M-my name is Allison Hallifax...Please don't sleep with me."

"You don't consent, so I won't. Hop in the mech, show us what you know." Gio explained, sweatdropping at the last statement.

Allison nodded timidly, and hopped into the mech. Gio noted how effortlessly she did it, nodding his head in satisfaction. He also noted she was a little unbalanced on the side where the Trebuchet was, but he expected that.

He also expected her to fall over, which she did.

"Ms. Yamada! It happened!" Gio shouted.

"Yes! Ichika owes me five hundred yen!"

"Dammit!"

Gio went over to the down figure, looking down at Allison. "You broke it."

" _What!?_ " She exclaimed loudly.

"I'm kidding. This thing has withstood a Nashorn missile. You falling over is nothing to it." Gio deadpanned.

"This gun is heavy!" She complained. "How do you move so effortlessly?!"

"You get used to it." Gio shrugged. "Here, lemme get that." He reached under _FireStorm_ , and started screwing with the Trebuchet. "Almost...got it." He stood up, holding the railgun and walked towards Chifuyu. "Merry Christmas." He dropped the giant railgun into her hands, and walked away.

"...Thanks?" Chifuyu said, watching the Trebuchet disappear in her hands. "Dunois? A moment if you would."

Gio walked back to Allison. "Okay, try getting up."

Allison got up shakily, but nonetheless got up. "I can...somewhat stand."

"Here's the thing with Hybrids. Since the mech suit is still part Titan, it still partly carries the weight of one. That's why these things are so deadly in melee combat." Gio explained.

"Because they can hit harder due to momentum and inertia?" Allison asked.

"That would be correct. It doesn't help that our weapons are heavier than standard IS types. A standard rifle for IS models is tailored to be able to be held by the pilot. A Hybrid model rifle sits at around 65 pounds without the magazine." Gio continued. "Standard Hybrid pilots will use the box magazine, turning the rifle into a LMG, and put the weight at 100 lbs."

"So if I got hit with a standard Hybrid rifle...it would hurt?" Allison asked.

"It would hurt a lot." Gio said. "Now, if you would please step out of my IS."

"What? Why?"

"Just do it."

Allison complied, and got out of the IS. Gio got into _Firestorm_ , and raised his sword quickly to block a strike from another IS.

Charles was in his IS, and tried to hurt Gio with his shield pierce. Gio pushed him away, twirling his broadsword. "Alright, Dunois. We're supposed to be teaching how to walk in an IS, not fighting each other."

"Perhaps, but the instructor told me to." Charles stated. "I know you still got energy from the last fight."

Gio said nothing, put his sword back on his hip, and flicked his wrist. It opened up, revealing four _Nashorn_ missile launchers.

"Wait...are those?" Ichika started to ask. "They can't be."

"Inferno! Those missiles are prohibited to be used on school grounds! As well as anywhere in the world!" Chifuyu shouted.

Charles backed up slightly, summoning two SMGs. "I'm not scared of you!"

Gio's railgun reappeared and took aim, leading Charles's sensors to scream in alert at him. The railgun was overcharged.

"I'm slightly scared of you!" Charles shouted. "But I will beat you!" And with that, he charged.

Gio put the _Nashorn_ launchers away, pulled out his sword again, and charged as well. Charles's SMG rounds bounced off of _Firestorm's_ shields. Gio's 40mm cannon, now pointing at his opponent, thundered a response. The class had backed away, watching as stray rounds and sparks flew all over the place.

"Now, who wants to analyze this fight?" Chifuyu asked. "Shinonono, go ahead."

Houki stayed silent for a second, watching as Gio hooked Charles with his broadsword, and started firing 40mm rounds into his chestplate. "Compared to other IS pilots, Inferno uses a very harsh and crude fighting style. He keeps his close opponents down with brutal hand to hand combat that is similar to what you would see in street gang fights, and at ranges he is deadly with a wide assortment technology."

"How can he keep opponents in check with _street moves_?" Cecilia asked. "It sounds rather barbaric."

"Inferno's IS is heavier than ours by a long shot." Allison stated, walking up to watch the fight. "Hybrid ISs maintain some values from their Titan counterparts. Inferno told me that his still holds the weight of a Titan, and if I were to guess...an Ogre class?"

"So that means-" Houki started, but quickly turned to see Charles land a punch on Gio's face, causing Gio to stop firing his 40 mm, but not let go of Charles. He looked down, rubbed where he was punched, and punched back at Charles's chest. This punch caused Charles shield to fall and for his chest piece to break, falling off the mech and landing on the ground. "-he hits harder than us." Houki finished.

"A IS with the strength of an Ogre Titan is dangerous, especially since it also comes with the same layout as one. Save the Trebuchet." Allison finished.

Chifuyu turned to Allison. "Hallifax, you come from a military family in the US, correct?"

"Yes ma'am!"

"So you probably know all the Ogre subclasses then?" Chifuyu asked.

"You mean the _Scorch_ , _Legion_ , and _Kaiser_ classes? Yes, that was drilled into me by my father." Allison explained.

"Wait, I've heard of the _Scorch_ class, but what were the last two?" Ichika asked. Before he could get an answer, Charles was thrown over their heads, and landed behind the class.

" _Legion_ is an area denial mech, armed with overshield capabilities and a Predator gatling gun." Gio explained, walking over to the class, though he still was clad in his mech. "The _Kaiser_ class? Well...that class is almost in the same boat as the mechs that had attacked during the tournament. But I can explain what I know."

"Wait, so there's a Titan armed with a giant gatling cannon?" Ichika asked. "If that's normal, the _Kaiser_ class must be a beast."

"The _Kaiser_ class is an over-armored Ogre armed with a _50mm_ cannon, instead of the 40mm original. It's right shoulder has a Trebuchet mounted on it, it's left has a 150mm Howitzer." Gio explained. "The technology needed to keep the Howitzer light and small enough to be on the mech is expensive, so in terms of Hammond logistical numbers, the _Kaiser_ class is a rarity."

"So that means you have a thousand of them?" Ichika deadpanned.

"Yep."

"Hey Inferno?" Charles asked. "Did I win?"

"Yes, can we end this now?" Gio asked. "You aren't going to beat me."

"Very well…" Charles said.

"Can I fight him?" Laura asked.

Gio opened up his _Nashorn_ launchers again. "Do you wish to die?" He said in a very foreboding tone.

"That's not the tone you use with a girl you slept with." Chifuyu smirked.

They both turned to Chifuyu. "Do you wish to die?" They both so ominously, now clad in their ISs.

"Uh...Ms. Orimura?" A student asked. "Are you going to wipe the floor with them?"

"I wasn't aware Inferno was armed with _Nashorn_ missiles, so technically no one can beat him at this school. Unless someone is packing a Titan." Chifuyu deadpanned.

"Oh...:" The entire class wilted. "Can you at least try?"

"Would you?" Gio asked, now facing the class.

"I see the point."

 **Later, in the garage**

Gio was working on _Firestorm_ , he had decided to remove the 40mm cannon and replace it with something else. The Hammond Armory Company had sent him a new toy he wished to try out in the doubles tournament. He hated to see the 40mm cannon go, but things change, and he needed a faster weapon. Thankfully coming in the form of a gatling cannon.

The Assault Cannon Mk-6 was a rotary cannon that could be equipped onto the wrist of a mech, and fired a 75 caliber round at a speed of 600 rounds a minute, or 1200 rounds a minute when boosted. The boosted form could only fire for a short time before the barrel needed to cool down. A terrible waste of bullets, but effective against both Titans and IS mechs.

"Inferno?"

Gio turned around, almost unholstering his pistol. "Oh...hi Kanzashi." He greeted, relaxing his posture.

The blue haired girl walked up to the former soldier, her hands behind her back and her head was low. "I...want to apologize."

Gio stayed silent, intent on listening.

"I want to apologize for-"

"Stop." Okay, maybe he wasn't intent on listening.

"What?" Kanzashi asked, surprise evident on her face.

"You don't need to apologize." Gio explained. "I shouldn't have blown up at you."

"But I shouldn't have questioned you about why you were helping me." Kanzashi countered.

"Then I guess we both did something wrong, didn't we?" Gio asked, getting closer to the girl.

"I guess we did." The bluenette said. "What do we do now?"

Gio stared at the girl. "Guess we should probably talk about what happened."

Kanzashi nodded. "Yeah…" She grabbed Gio's hand and led him out of the garage.

 **Ichika and Charles Dorm**

Ichika opened his and Charles's dorm door and the two entered their room. Once again, Gio had messaged them that he was going to be late getting back. Ichika had messaged him back saying not to sleep with anyone, to which the Hammond pilot responded with "Very funny."

"So Inferno is busy? I wonder what he's doing." Charles asked.

"You mean _who_ he's doing?" Ichika laughed. Charles just stared at him flatly. "I'll shut up."

"Thank you." Charles mumbled as he gathered his clothes. "I'm going to shower."

"Okay." Ichika responded as he got onto his bed. He heard the door close and the shower turn on. He quickly remembered that there was no shampoo in the shower. He went to the desk where the other bottle was and walked towards the shower.

 **Sikorsky Factory, Connecticut USA**

The Sikorsky Factory in Connecticut was the original factory and the headquarters for Sikorsky. The factory was a grey building with a large square tarmac on the outside for testing new products. The company had designed and produced the ever-famous UH-60 'Blackhawk' helicopter.

But this factory no longer produced helicopters. In the era of the IS, Sikorsky produced engines needed to keep the US Military's IS suits in the air. And they were on the verge of a huge breakthrough.

Inside the factory, two scientists in grey lab coats were writing on their clipboards while watching their newest system. A jet engine reverse produced from information _stolen_ by Whitehat hackers in the US Government. Now, after multiple failures, the system was theoretically stable and ready for flight.

But theory didn't always hold up. Hence this test.

"Jenkins." One of the scientists said, turning towards a worker at a control panel near the engine. "Power it up."

The mechanic nodded, and pressed some buttons to get it working. The engine hummed to life.

"Watts! Tyson!" The two scientists turned around, seeing a uniformed officer walking in with a group of US Army soldiers. "We have a situation."

"Captain Glypher, what is it?" Watts asked, worry slightly evident on his face. "The system is almost ready, I know it's late-"

"That's not it. Did the ramen junkies up in the Government tell you where they got that information?"

"You mean the Whitehat hackers? We were told this was a russian system-"

"That's a lie." Glypher interrupted. "They said that not to worry us. But one of them broke down in a Joint Chiefs of Staff meeting after working his way through all the security. He apologized so many times it took all of them and the President to calm him down to figure out what was wrong. That system isn't russian, it's not even from Russia." Glypher continued.

Tyson scowled. "What, is it Chinese? Would explain why it was in english, they're probably copying us."

"It's a Hammond system."

Watts and Tyson froze. All the workers froze as well. The soldiers behind Glypher suddenly spread out around the factory. Some took cover positions, others set up heavy machine guns.

"Captain...what does this mean?" Watts asked as Jenkins shut the system down.

"It could mean anything really. But NORAD detected something over the Pacific, and it was confirmed by a radar station on Guam. A fighter squadron was dispatched, but if it's Hammond-"

"They don't stand a chance." Tyson said gloomly. "Hammond deploys Hybrids for any international issues they have."

Captain Glypher nodded. "The two squads I brought are the last line. We have IS suits and anti-IS squads outside the building and already have an established perimeter."

"What about us?" Watts said, motioning to the civilians in the building.

Glypher was silent.

Suddenly, the radio on Glypher crackled to life. " _Perimeter reporting, NORAD has just detected something flying over Vermont. Another IS group, matching Hammond hybrid speeds."_

"Sonofa-Get to safety, those things will be here any moment." Glypher told Watts. "Copy, perimeter. Is it possible to evac these civilians in the building?"

" _No can do, sir. The forces will be on top of us before anyone can leave."_

"Dammit."

" _Sir? They're here."_ And with that, the radio went silent. The building shook, and muffled explosions could be heard.

"It's been an honor, all of you." Glypher mumbled.

 **Outside the building**

"Fire everything!" A US IS pilot shouted. Bullets and laser flew from the defenses around the building. Tracer rounds from temporary AA placements lit up the sky, and explosions lit up the night. The explosions did little to deter the Hammond pilots, and their mechs landed on the ground.

The earthshaking landing was telltale to the US forces that these weren't IS Hybrids. The total darkness of night and cut power from the lights around the facility hid the mechs from view of the US military.

A Marine flicked on his night vision goggles, and looked to see what had landed. What had landed was, simply put, absolute terror.

It was an Ogre Titan with bulkier armor, shoulder pauldrons, a Trebuchet railgun on one shoulder, and a 150mm Howitzer on the other shoulder. The entity was also holding what appeared to be a large weapon similar to the 40mm cannon, nicknamed "slugthrower" by the US Military.

"Are you guys seeing this?" Another Marine whispered to his buddy. "It looks like a-"

" _KAISER TITAN!"_ The first Marine shouted.

 **Inside the building**

The radio on Glypher's body crackled to life again. " _Captain Glypher, this is McGuire Actual."_

Glypher took the radio off his person. "Go ahead McGuire Actual."

" _Satellites are giving reports of Kaiser Titans attacking your AO. Air Combat Command has scrambled a F-35H squadron and an AC-1000 to your location, over."_

"Over, can I get a count?"

" _Looks to be 5 count."_

"Understood McGuire Actual. ETA?"

" _They were scrambled immediately after squadron was detected. 5 minutes till arrival."_

"Understood, Glypher over and out." The captain put his radio back and turned to the civilians. "Kaiser mechs are assaulting the building. No hybrids, but that doesn't mean they aren't coming."

" _Captain, a second squad has been detected!"_

"What-"

There was a crash from the ceiling of the room, and three IS suits landed on the floor. They were Hybrids similar to the one Gio used on the raid at Storyuski, the pilots wearing ocular sight helmets used by Hammond Grunts. One of them looked down at the IS it was standing on. It was a _Quad Phalanx_ IS, but the guns were broken and the suit was badly damaged.

The pilot looked up at the Hammond pilot that was on her. "Fuck you-"

Before she could finish, the Hybrid pilot pulled out her Broadsword and slammed the blade through the skull of the US pilot. The head was split in half clean through.

The lead pilot looked at the IS engine behind it. "So this is what they used."

The other pilot looked towards her leader. "Ma'am, what do you mean?"

The lead looked at the one who spoke. "We used an old engine to find this site. It worked…" She turned around and took out a 40mm cannon. She aimed at a pillar and fired. The shot hit the pillar and brought down a platform onto a pair of soldiers with an Anti-IS railgun. "...like a charm. Clear out this room."

The two other pilots nodded, and took out their weapons as well. They quickly got to work. The lead pilot went up to the system, and punched her fist into the center of it. She pulled it out, and looked at what she grabbed.

The nuclear detonator.

"How did they miss this? Oh well." She slid her finger over the small silver ball, and it started to beep. "Nel! Avery! We're leaving!"

The two nodded, and stopped firing. They holstered their weapons, and the three hybrid pilots shot off into the sky.

 **Outside with the Kaiser Titans**

The Kaiser Titans looked up at the hybrids leaving. Thye quickly holstered their weapons as well. To the surprise of everyone on the US side (read: survivors), they unfurled metal wings, and blasted into the night sky as well.

"...Okay, what the fu-"

Before the Marine could finish, the nuclear core went off inside the building.

 **So, I'm somewhat back and slowly updating stories. I thought I'd give you a look at the outside of the ISA and Hammond's interactions with the world.**

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 **Also, the Sikorsky Factory in this chapter is real. I've seen it while I was driving home from Vermont. No, they didn't sponsor me.**


End file.
